


I've Seen Fire and I've Seen Rain

by chellessue



Category: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-20
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2019-08-26 12:13:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 31
Words: 40,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16681420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chellessue/pseuds/chellessue
Summary: “This is the nature of people, they unerringly select as their victim the one who most needs their warmth.”





	1. The Beginning of The End

There was a thin line between life and death. Both the mortals and the children of magic thought so.  _A thin and a sharp line._ What were they thinking when they came up with this metaphor? That it was easy to cross the realms? Putting an end to your life was nothing like putting a dot at the end of a sentence. Both the witches and the mortals were too naive to be thinking so…

She was naive too. Once. So, no, she didn’t think so. She didn’t need to think. You don’t need to brainstorm about something that you  _already know_. And she  _knew:_ the line was _not_ thin. It wasn’t that easy to cross. It took time. _It took painfully long_.

And what followed was an endless loop of flames.

There were other thin and sharp things though. They were no metaphors. The thing that was touching the skin of her throat at that moment could as well make a good example.

Its cold touch made her shiver. She forgot about her surroundings for a moment. One feeling surpassed everything… That one feeling she hadn’t felt for a long time…


	2. Down in the Forest, A Song from the Past

_Years ago..._

 

Fear.

Facing the tree.

All alone in the forest.

It was cold.

She was shivering.

It was nearly dawn and the voices were gone. _Just few minutes more and you’ll be done Zelda. Just keep your head high and don’t-_

“Don’t let them see you’re afraid.”

Why was she still hearing voices, it was already dawn.

“Don’t get confused, I’m real. Besides, you only hear the ones you love during this test. And you don’t know me.” The girl faced her. “Not yet.”

She gently bundled her up with a blanket and stayed that way for some time, as if she was trying to make sure that Zelda was warm again. Zelda could feel her warm breath against her cheek.

“It was very brave of you to take this nightmare of a test again. I admire you. I’m Lilith by the way.” She moved away from Zelda. She had to wrap herself tighter in the blanket as she had lost her warmth.

“Zelda.”

“Come on Zee, let’s get you cleaned and ready to hit the Academy to show those bitches how this shit is done.”

The cold started losing its effect on her and she came back to her senses. Who was this girl? Why was she talking to her like they had know each other for years or something? “Sorry, but who exactly are you?”

“Well, I’m Lilith, isn’t that enough?” Her sparkly eyes shined even brighter. What a strange creature she was. So confident. She was almost charming. Zelda did her best to cover up her impressions. Her answer was charismatic but not enough.

“Okay, I’m one of Mr. Spellman’s students? Is that answer satisfying enough?” Zelda studied her and answered, “Yes, I guess. For now…”

Lilith laughed most infectiously that Zelda couldn’t help but smile.

“You’re a delight, dear Zee. We really should hang out!”


	3. Kissed by Fire

Time slowed down as she felt the warm breath against her cheek. She realized she was dead cold when she felt the heat the other woman was vibrating. _Funny_ , she thought. _My about-to-be killer burning, and me, about-to-be the murdered witch, all cold. This is not a very witchy death, I guess_.

How very considerate of her to end this without flames, Lilith thought. After all, she _knows_ me. _She fucking knew me._


	4. Hurts Like Hell

_Years ago..._

 

Zelda managed to survive that night’s Harrowing incident but the same couldn’t be said about the other tests she had to take in order to stop Hilda’s Harrowing from happening. As a consequence of her failure she had to do her end of the treaty. Hilda had to take the Harrowing and Zelda had to push her beyond limits. _It hurt Hilda. And it hurt Zelda._

As for her and Lilith… The two young women seemed to become inseparable after that dawn when Lilith came to her rescue. Lilith managed to break the wall that Zelda had built around herself. Zelda could be herself around her: she didn’t have to keep it cool, be a Spellman. Lilith didn’t need to be taken care of. Actually, she was the one taking care of Zelda. Just like that dawn in the woods.

And then it happened. The one thing that Zelda had been ignoring for so long…

Lilith gave her a double kiss on the cheek as she picked her coat from the bed. She took her bag on the floor and looked up as she took her hair to one side. She looked at her with those piercing eyes as she stood up straight. She was trying to look as indifferent as possible but Zelda, at that moment, knew. Lilith had tried to talk to her about it but Zelda always managed to change the subject but she couldn't do it this time.

“Where is Edward?”

A wall of silence built up between them and Zelda wasn’t sure she had the strength in her to cross it. She swallowed and wished she could swallow her tears as well.

“In his room, I guess.” _Keep it together Zelda, keep it together and it’ll be over soon._

_Lilith knew_ what was going on, why Zelda had been avoiding to talk about this for all this time.

And _Zelda knew Lilith knew_ , why she was avoiding it all along. Her sharp features smoothed as her eyes filled with tears as well.

“Zee – I –“

“You don’t need to do that. You don’t need to do anything.” Zelda shrugged. “I think I knew it. I think I always knew it. Even when you put that blanket on my shoulders I knew it. But just one thing Lil, I’ll always be the one that knows these. No one but me will ever know this much about you. Because no one but me can be this interested in you and you’ll see how important that is in time.” Zelda sat up straight and looked right into her eyes. Lilith was visibly shaken by her remarks. She took a step closer then stopped there.

“I can’t stop it Zelda. I don’t want to stop it. I’m sorry.” _Yes, I know how that feels._

Zelda saw Edward at her door when Lilith opened it to leave. _Just like a fine breeze on a hot summer day, she came and left, to somewhere else, to someone else, to him, to sooth him._


	5. Can't Pretend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Follows the incidents of the previous chapter.

Endless nights followed endless days. Lilith had never felt this good in her entire life. She felt she had finally found her match. Edward was smart, talented: she was still having hard time in believing her luck. They were spending their days fucking around and each other: simply having fun.

And for Zelda… Lilith was still haunted by the way she looked at her that day and by her remarks. But she really was sincere about what she said that day: she really couldn’t stop loving Edward. They belonged to one another.

“Tell me you’re mine.” Edward whispered to her as he pinned her on the wall. They were alone in the corridor and she was surprised that she didn’t hear him coming her way. He got closer. She could feel him grin in her skin.

“Do you need confirmation for everything? Should I be sorry for you?” She loved playing with him like that. Little bit of rage wouldn’t hurt.

“With you, I like hearing it.” He bit her ear. Lilith gave out a little moan.

“Yes.”

“Yes?”

“I’m yours. Completely and forever.” He started kissing her fiercely and called her a good girl as he motioned her to wrap her legs around him.


	6. An Ill Wind Blowing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Follows the incidents of the previous chapter

It’d been weeks since Zelda last spoke to Lilith. Of course, she’d seen her and, of course, Lilith tried to speak to her. But no, there was no going back. Zelda knew she had to close this chapter of her life once and for all. She did her best to avoid her and after the first weeks Lilith was careful about it as well. She wasn’t visiting Edward at home, she was careful to keep her distance from Edward when the three cross paths at the Academy.

Zelda tried so hard to keep everyhting as it always had been with Edward but something had certainly changed. She did not know if Lilith told her about that night – she guessed, and hoped she did not, but Edward was acting differently. And Zelda couldn’t find the needed strength to change this. She wasn’t a person that could wear a mask and act indifferent. It hurt to see them together, it hurt that Edward was the one holding Lilith’s hand, not her. It was as simple as that. She hated Lilith for it, she hated Edward for it, and she hated _herself_ for it.

Hilda was aware of the changes between the two. They had always been so close but they were barely speaking now. When she tried to speak to Edward, he told her he was too busy and did not have time to deal with the moods of Zelda. And when she tried to speak to Zelda… Well, she just tried. Zelda was utterly reluctant to discuss the matter.

Hilda had the feeling that the whole thing was about Lilith. The witch knew her sister too well, she had seen how she looked at Lilith. And she had seen how Lilith looked at Edward. Their eyes spoke the same words, just not to the same person.

And there was another thing she knew:

_How Edward looked at Lilith._

And how it lacked the affection that was supposed to be there.

So it was no great shock when the inevitable started showing itself. It had passed midnight when she woke up to the slamming of the front door. Some hurried footsteps followed the sound. There was an heated argument going on downstairs, that was for sure. Hilda checked the bed next to her to find it empty. Zelda had been unable to sleep for the last few weeks so she was either taking walks in the house, or simply went next door to sit the night off.

Hilda got up and walked to the door, to hear what was going on. The footsteps and voices were closer now. It was Edward and Lilith.

They were upstairs now, walking to his room, arguing. It all sounded as if he was dragging her in. Once they got in the room he slammed the door again.

Hilda opened the door a bit and checked the corridor. There was no one. She went to listen Edward’s door. Lilith’s voice was louder now. It drowned out Edward’s voice.

She seemed to be throwing a fit. Edward sounded calm.

As Lilith raised her voice even more, Hilda managed to understand what she was saying. “Don’t play the gentleman now you bloody bastard!” Lilith shouted. “You are far from being a gentleman, that, we both know. I’m not one your puppet bitches, I won’t be silenced, I won’t be put in a corner you son of a bitch.”

Edward replied back but Hilda couldn’t hear what he said. He was maintaining his serenity, as it seemed. Lilith had started pacing, laughing hysterically. “And you actually believed you could hide it from me. You actually believed that. You can’t hide anything from me you fuck.” The pacing stopped and Lilith lowered her voice, Hilda had to stick her ear to the door to hear what she was going to say next.

“I am the only person that can read you like a open book and see you for what you are. You thought you actually could have it _all_. Here is the answer, _baby_ , you can’t have it all. Because no matter how hard you’re trying to believe otherwise, you are just the _foot-soldier_. You are no equivalent to _him_. But you and I, we are _equals_. And if I’m not enjoying the other fruits in the garden, you are not going to do it as well. _I won’t allow it_.”

A loud thud cut Lilith off. The sound made Hilda jump backwards. She found herself pinned on the wall across the door. It took her another 30 seconds to realize that Zelda had slammed the door open, and was standing right across the couple on the floor.

"Don't you dare harm a hair on her head."

Her presence made Edward loosen his grip on Lilith's neck. Edward turned to look at Zelda who was standing in the room now. She swallowed hard as she raised her head even higher. Lilith struggled to move away from Edward as she tried to catch her breath. Both Zelda and Hilda could see the marks on her neck.

Edward stood up to face Zelda. He looked like a predator just found something better to hunt. He tilted his head as he gave Zelda an intentional once-over. "And who exactly are _you_ to _her_ that you can so confidently slam into my room to protect her?"

Zelda was interrupted by Lilith who was still unable to stand up. It was evident how much she was forcing herself to speak.

"I don't need anyone's protection." Lilith said between coughs. Zelda turned her eyes to Lilith but Edward was still looking at Zelda, smirking. When Zelda's eyes met Edward's again both Spellmans were thinking the same thing. _Pathetic_. But for once, just for this once, they were not sharing the feeling under it.

"She doesn't need anyone's protection." Edward said, mocking. Zelda did not take her eyes off him when she called for Hilda and told her to take Lilith downstairs firmly. She looked like she was about to pass out, she needed to be taken care of immediately.

Hilda immediately obeyed the orders and walked to Lilith. The two witches disappeared with the flick of Hilda's fingers.

"How dare you?" Edward outraged as he took one step closer.

"I said what I said, _brother_. You are not going to harm a hair on her head. Or you will pay for it."

"And how _exactly_ are you going to make me pay, _sister_?"

"There are things that you shouldn't be that willing to find out, Edward."

"Same goes for you, _Zelda_. If you ever try to come between her and me again, it will be you who ends up on the floor, understood?"

"And if you don't do as I say, you will end up _six feet under_ , _Edward Spellman_. You think you are so big? If she wasn't that much in love with you, you wouldn't have survived the night. And we _both_ know it."

"You're in a dangerous territory, sis. Need I remind you that I'm not only your brother but also your high priest."

"As I have warned you before, playing that card is always a sign of weakness. You are surrounded by unnatural animals, brother, and they smell the fear. That was what I said, isn't it? So very well put." She slowly touched his cheek and moved her finger down to his chin: so slow that it tickled. She watched the movements of her finger as she continued speaking. "Although, I forgot to mention something, something you need to be reminded. I'm one of those animals. And I am far more dangerous than any one of them because I was there when you first shat your pants out of fright and I know what would make you shit your pants now, as the high priest of the church of night." She slowly slapped him on cheek twice which made Edward flinch. It made Zelda laugh. Strangely, _she was feeling good._


	7. An Ill Wind Blowing, Part 2

Zelda expected some smashing mirrors, breaking stuff but Edward was all silent as she left the room and went downstairs. She had won the first round but the silence that followed indicated the shit storm coming up. She knew her brother, he would never let this go.

Then the realization struck her like a thunder that she had to hold the staircase tight. _She did it all for her_ , it was all for her. She stood against her own brother for a woman that did not even love her. She hadn’t even thought for a second when she heard the thud. No reason, no second thoughts; she had just stormed into the room to save her. One possibility turned everything into dust.

Same thing happened when she turned her head and saw her in the living room, her head on Hilda’s lap. _Did it really matter? Did anything really matter?_ She could have lost Lilith completely and for good. And if that had happened, would she give a fuck about reason, about pride, about the silly pissing contest she just had with her brother? She let herself feel blessed that Lilith was there, alive. The stupid games of flesh were off for now. She walked in the living room determinedly and kneeled down in front of Hilda and Lilith. Hilda studied her sister’s face. Her heart was aching for her. Hilda stroked her hair tenderly, looking at her with tearful eyes. Zelda let her be sweet for once. She looked at her with knowing eyes, stood up and lended a small kiss on her forehead.

“Get your rest. I’ll stay with her.”

“Zelds, you don’t have to do this.” Zelda looked down at her little sister. With Hilda it was never just magic. This was empathy and kidness speaking. She was a full witch with human virtues. Zelda admired her for that, although she never said this outloud.

Zelda smiled warmly. “I’ll be fine, Hilda. You go to bed.” Hilda studied her for a second and then nodded.

“Okay.” Hilda carefully held Lilith's head and took a cushion to replace to place under Lilith's head. Zelda stopped her.

“No, that won’t be necessary.” She held Lilith gently and took Hilda’s place on the couch.

“Zelds-”

“I’m fine Hilda, please, leave us now.” . Two words stopped Hilda as she was leaving the room.

“Thank you.”

Hilda turned to Zelda and smiled warmly.

And said “Always.” as she wiped away the tears welled up in her eyes.

 

Silence fell as Lilith and Zelda were the only ones left in the room. Zelda took deep breath and looked at the woman sleeping on her lap. She took her curls from her face and pushed them back to examine her neck. The marks had turned purple. They were so evident that she could trace her brother’s fingers. As she looked down at her body she noticed the bruises on her back. She gently touched the skin exposed from her tshirt and pulled it up a bit more to see if there were more.

The bruises were all over her spine. Zelda felt as if someone was squeezing her heart.

“How bad?” the woman lying on her lap muttered. Zelda tried to hold back her tears.

“As bad as it feels.”

“I guess I’m taking a week off.” Lilith said, trying to smile. Zelda noticed that she wasn’t opening her eyes. And she knew why.

“I guess.”

They were all silent again. Zelda leaned her head back on the couch started staring at the ceiling. _How caged she was feeling at that moment._

“He smashed me onto the floor Zee. He fucking smashed me onto the floor and I couldn’t do anything.”

Zelda looked back at Lilith. Her bright blue eyes were open, looking vaguely beyond the window. It was dawn. The oranges reflected in her blue eyes. They looked as if they were in flames. She looked as if _she_ was in flames.

Tears streamed down her face. Little tears. All of them leaving traces. They looked like lava erupting from a volcano. But when they fell onto Zelda’s skin they did not burn. Seemed like they only burnt Lilith.

Zelda wanted to scream at her. She wanted to scream that she was weak. That she let him toy with her. That she believed she was beyond pathetic. But she couldn’t. She cared too much to do so.

So she just tried to sooth her with her touches. With each touch Lilith’s cries got stronger. She turned and pressed herself against Zelda as if she was trying to get lost in her. Zelda held her tight as Lilith cried her heart out.

Zelda leaned down and gave her small kisses on head to sooth her.

“It’s going to be okay. Everything’s going to be okay.” She said again and again as tears streamed down her own face. Zelda felt Lilith’s hands climb up between them to reach her own hair. She clunged at it. She was throwing a fit. Zelda pulled her up and held her face immediately.

“Look at me!” Lilith had all gone red, her eyes shut. She had clenched her teeth, repeating the same thing over and over. “I couldn’t. I couldn’t. I couldn’t.” Panic climbing up Zelda’s spine like thousands of ants, Zelda repeated, this time, demanded. “Lilith look at me!”

Lilith stopped mumbling, still shaking, and still eyes closed. Zelda touched her face tenderly, again and again. “It’s okay. It’s all okay. Now open your eyes for me please, come on Lil, for me.”

Lilith opened her eyes. When she met Zelda’s eyes her lips started trembling harder, she was trying to say something but her words drowned in her tears. Zelda stopped her, trying to give her comforth with words. “You love him. And love makes us do peculiar things. Love makes us act totally out of character. It’s okay. Calm down. Please calm down, I can’t stand seeing you like this.” Zelda was on the edge of tears again. “It hurts. It hurts me Lil.” Lilith stopped and looked in her eyes. She touched Zelda’s face, touched the strand of her hair that fell on her eye and then put it behind her ear, tenderly, lovingly.

“How I wish it was you. How I wish it was you that I loved.” The words felt as if hundreds of little pins were sticked all over Zelda. She gave her a knowing and aching smile.

“Me too.” Lilith broke the eye contact whispering “I’m sorry” thousands of times, burrying her face in her hands. Zelda silenced her and took her hands in one hand gently held her head with the other. She kissed her eye and placed a long kiss on the side of her forehead which calmed both of them.

“It’s okay. We’ll be fine. We’ll be good.”


	8. Breathe It In

The sun managed to break in the house that day. Zelda couldn’t resist its persistance and opened her eyes. It was irritating that no matter what had happened, the sun always came up the same way and filled one with some sort of hope. It always made Zelda feel like she could open a new page and start over. But, of course, it wouldn’t be that simple. No one would let her make it that simple. Nothing was ever going to change unless she threw the whole book away and start a new one. And one couldn’t throw away her life like that. Unless…

She shook off the thought. As she came back to her senses she realized Lilith was gone. She sighed and went to check the rooms although she knew she wasn’t in any one of them. Zelda knew her well. She wouldn’t want to face neither Edward nor Zelda. She had probably gone somewhere to gather her thoughts and decide what she was going to do next. Zelda prayed that she would finally do the reasonable thing.

After checking the whole house, Zelda gave up and dragged herself to the kitchen to make some coffee. She entered the room to see Edward all dressed up with his coffee in his hand. He was in rush. She got out of his way as he walked out of the kitchen in hurry. She had avoided any sort of contact but she felt his eyes on her. She took a deep breath as she heard the front door shut. It was very hard to breathe these days.

As Zelda sipped her black coffee, looking out from the window, Lilith was outside, walking in the woods. She could easily be at her home with a snap of fingers but she felt she needed air. She felt she needed to be in the woods. She had always considered herself as a creature of the woods: she always thought she did not belong in the coven. All the rules, all the structured way of life bored her to death. But it was all different in the woods. She could be herself here, wander around, be the wild animal that she actually was. Or she used to be.

After meeting Edward she had become more and more caged. At first it felt as if he showed her a world without boundaries, a world of their own where there were no rules. She felt they were travelling within realms that she couldn't possibly walk alone. She saw him as a partner: a partner that would never bore her.

She still felt the same way. However, she wasn't sure he did. After becoming the high priest of the church of night Edward wanted his own realms, he wanted to walk alone. Lilith did not like it but she pushed herself to accept it. After all, he had become the high priest, closest link to Satan. Of course he needed room, of course there were going to be things he had to hide from her. But as his world grew with the newly gained title, hers got smaller.

She tried to act unaware, and stomach it all but with the increase of presented opportunities, the walks got more and more. And when he came back to her, with the stink of the additional journeys he had, she finally lost it. After a few drinks she created a scene at the bar, a scene that Edward couldn't possibly take in. He dragged her into the house, still unable to shake the embarassment off and when she totally lost it...

Any other that had done this to her would not have the lungs to breathe in. She knew it, everyone knew it. She was one of those rare witches that had the magic from head to toe. When she had to perform magic, it looked as if the spell was coming out of her whole body. The magic vibrated from her. She was fast, bright and upredictable.

But with Edward, she was useless. She couldn't possibly think of harming him. And yet he...

She could have cured herself right away. Right on that couch, her head on Zelda's lap. Or let Hilda and Zelda do it for her. And she could cure herself here and now. But she wasn't going to do so. She wanted to feel the pain. She needed the pain to remind her of what happened.

She looked up at the sky. It felt so close once. But today it felt so far. She felt dizzy. Two arms caught her as she collapsed.

 

When she opened her eyes, she saw a familiar ceiling. The sky wasn't there anymore. She stood up straight and realized she was at home. It took her another few seconds to realize that she wasn't in pain. She touched her back firmly and felt no pain. She rushed to the mirror to check her neck and found nothing. Then she heard the steps in her corridor.

Edward came in with some food he prepared and placed them on the table. Lilith saw the candles and everything. She, then, looked at him with a disgusted look in her eyes. Edward was avoiding her stares. Lilith started shaking with rage.

"This is a whole different level, Edward. This is a whole different level of humiliation, how dare you?!" Did he really think candles and food would make everything okay?

"Lily, I-" He came closer but stopped halfway when he finally met her eyes and saw the rage. He swallowed and continued. "I wanted to make it up to you, that's all. I caused you pain so it was my responsibility -"

"-Responsibility?!" She couldn't believe he fucked this up even more.

"-I had to do something. I had to make you feel better. I lost it. I couldn't control it for one second. You pushed me so hard Lily-"

"Don't fucking call me that!"

"Okay." Edward took a deep breath, trying to take this under control. "Lilith." He took another step forward but Lilith took a step back, signalling him to stay put. "Look, I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to say you were wrong. But throwing a fit in front of everyone. And I said nothing. You screamed and shouted and I said nothing. But at home-"

"-But at home I told you the truth about your nature and you lost it. You are so weak, Edward. Weak enough to believe you are so strong." Edward threw her a fiery glance but controlled it in few seconds. But it was too late, Lilith had seen it. She hoped she would never forget that.

Edward swallowed hard. "You're right. You're right about it all. And I'm sorry for... what I did. It was unacceptable. But you know me, I'm not like that." He looked at his hands. He had started fidgeting. And then he finally looked at her. He looked at her so deeply that Lilith lost her sense of time and place. "I love you. I need you. I need you more than anything in the world. And I'm nothing without you. I want you to know that. I want you to know that I'm fully aware of it." He took another step forward and this time she didn't back away. He touched her hair. "Lil-"

"-I think you should leave."

"I love you. Please." said Edward, as he got even closer. Lilith could feel his breath on her skin. She didn't let it distract her.

"Edward, please leave. I have to think." Edward kept on looking at her. It was Lilith, who was avoiding the eye contact now. After realizing he wasn't going to be able change her mind he looked away and walked to the door. Lilith took a deep breath.


	9. Who Is It Walking The Night?

It was almost dark when Lilith heard the knock on the door. That bastard, he never gave up, did he? She decided to ignore it until she heard the sweet tone she was so familiar with. She wanted to ignore her as well but she knew she did not have any right to do such thing. When she opened the door, she saw Zelda, all wet. The weather had turned in the afternoon, yes. But why was the witch all wet? Then she remembered. It was Zelda, after all. She must have had preffered the long way… The woods…

Lilith gestured her in and rushed inside to find some dry clothes and a blanket. She called out from her bedroom when Zelda slowly made her way in.

“Why do you act like a mortal? Or like a mortal without a car?” Zelda checked the woman in the room at the end of the corridor, picking clothes from her wardrobe.

“I thought it would be good to have a walk in the woods.” Lilith smiled at herself. She knew it. She pulled a blanket and threw it on her bed next to the dry clothes she picked for Zelda.

“Come here and get changed. I don’t want you to froze to death.” As soon as Zelda heard these words, she noticed the table and the candles now died out. She felt dizzy.

“Zee?” Lilith waited for an answer.

“… Yes.” Lilith came out of the bedroom and walked in the living room.

“Are you okay?” Lilith held her arms tenderly. Lowered her head to meet Zelda’s eyes.

Zelda looked up as she removed her hand from her forehead. “I’m fine. It’s just… I felt a bit dizzy. I’ll go and change. Thank you.” As she walked out of the living room, Lilith saw the table. She sighed and followed Zelda.

“Zelda. Nothing happened. He brought food and did… set the table. I didn’t-“ Zelda turned to Lilith.

“Look, you don’t have to explain anything.” She turned to the bed and started taking off her clothes. Lilith lowered her eyes as she took clothes off.

“Yeah… Should I-“

“Don’t be stupid… As if you haven’t seen it before.” Zelda smiled at her. It warmed Lilith’s heart. She smiled to herself and went to sit on the bed. Zelda stole a glance and then focused on getting changed again.

“I miss you a lot, you know.” said Lilith, as she looked up at Zelda. Their eyes met. Zelda saw the genuine sadness and desperation in Lilith’s eyes. Zelda sat next to her.

“Me too.”

Silence fell. And it was peaceful.

Lilith’s hand found Zelda’s.

Zelda looked at their intertwined hands. “Lil-“

“-Do you mind staying here tonight? I don’t want to be alone.”

“Lilith. I… I can’t-“

“-Zelda, please. I know… but… I have… I have thoughts that I… can’t control. They scare me.” Zelda turned to her. Lilith saw the fear behing her eyes.

“Don’t you dare-“ Lilith turned her eyes away and looked back at their hands.

“Please… Just… Stay.” Her voice had turned into a whisper. Zelda almost couldn’t hear her. She sighed.

“Okay.” Lilith looked back at her, her eyes filled with gratitude and love.

“Thank you.”

Zelda replied as she stood up. “Yeah…” she said and walked to the door. She turned back to Lilith as she tapped the door frame.

“I just thought… All that food… It’d be such a waste to throw them out.” Humor was the only thing that could get them out of this. Lilith chuckled weakly and followed her to the living room.

“I have wine.” Lilith called out, following Zelda in the corridor. Zelda answered without turning around to face her.

“I hope there is plenty.” Lilith went to the kitchen after hearing the words as Zelda moved back to the living room and sat for dinner. Lilith came back with two bottles and received a nod from Zelda. As she walked to the table Zelda realized that her movements had gone normal. Lilith didn’t need to look at her to guess what was bothering Zelda.

“Yes, he did that too.” said Lilith, as she took a sip from her wine she just poured.

“He never leaves traces.” said Zelda, as she, as well, took a sip from her own wine Lilith had just given her.

"He leaves traces everywhere Zee. He has left his traces all over my life." She took a moment to continue. She consciously kept her eyes on her wine glass. "He said he is nothing without me. And he said he knew that." Lilith hated to admit, but the words had left their marks on her. Edwards was certainly not a person that could say those sort of things easily... But he did say them... To her. She remembered how his eyes burned when she told him he was weak. But, of course, he'd be taken aback by them, it was Edward after all. He hated the possibility of being weak. And wasn't it one of the reason why she fell in love with thim in the first place. And yet, the thing he did to her...

I'm fully aware of that, he had said.

Lilith studied Zelda's silence. She couldn't dare look at her face. She probably detested her weakness. But she knew she understood.

Zelda didn't take her eyes off Lilith since she uttered her last words. Her mind and lips worked in unison and she replied.

"Did he really say that?"

Zelda's surprise gave Lilith the strength to look up at her. "Yes. I mean I know... But it is a hard thing to say for someone like Edward. And you know him better than everyone. He would never say such thing for nothing... I didn't give in or anything, of course, after what he did... But..."

Zelda swallowed hard. There she goes again, she thought. Zelda went black for a second. Her thoughts were so fast that she couldn't catch anything, questions came and went and she sat there all blank.

"Zelda?"

Zelda turned back to the reality. "Yes."

"What are you thinking?"

 

Edward straightened his suit before he knocked the door. He couldn't believe he was actually doing this. He never thought he would actually do this. _Things he did for-_

The door opened and he saw Lilith before him. How tired she looked. He remembered the first days of their relationship. So much had changed.

"Can I come in please?"

Lilith answered him stone cold. "I told you to leave. Do I have to extend on everything? What I meant was leave and don't come back _not_ leave and come back few hours later."

"Lilith, I've been thinking and I decided on something. And I don't want to tell you about it here at your door. Let me in please, you can shove me off after I'm done speaking."  
Lilith rolled her eyes and moved out of his way.

And there she was... His sister... Sitting on the table... the table he had prepared. Edward forced himself to hold it together. I'm not going to fuck this up, he thought.

"My my this is a surprise."

Zelda did not flinch. But Edward knew there was a hurricane within. She simply said "Edward." and greeted him coldly. Lilith came between the two.

"Yes, Edward. I'm listening." 

Just like that nigh back in the Spellman House, Zelda turned to Lilith but Edward did not take his eyes off Zelda.

After a moment he turned to Lilith. His tone got soft.

"I prefer to do this alone, Lilith." He could swore on his own life that this irritated Zelda to death. She probably sat straight, chin up, trying to maintain her stance. The thought almost made him smirk. Then the expected answer came from Lilith.

"Well, I don't."

"Okay then." Edward fixed his tie 

_and got down on one knee._

"If this is what you prefer." Lilith's face turned.

"I thought about it all. About everything. About how I've been acting recently, about how bad I made you feel. Look, I made mistakes. I know that. But more importantly, I know that if I repeat them again, I'll completely lose you. And I thought about it all night, and today. I can't lose you, Lily. I never had anyone like you in my life. We complete each other. Without you, I'd be lost. You are my ultimate partner in crime and the only person that I can be committed to." Lilith had tears in her eyes now. She started shaking her head repeatedly.

"I love you, miss. It's as simple as that. I can't imagine a life without you. So I decided to give you a promise. A promise of love. I won't fail you again. Will you marry me?" Lilith couldn't find the words. She was lost. Edward saw her look at Zelda. And then saw her sister in the front door. She slammed it and left.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sighs* opinions are all welcomed. i cant believe i started writing this just to make myself suffer and suffer


	10. The Unreturned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've gone full experimental in this. I'm so not sure about what I've done. But yes... Here we go.
> 
> (Follows the incidents of the previous chapter)

**Everything went white.**

**_This is the end._ **

 

 

Everything Unravels

 

Wind blows directly at my face. I feel frozen: I can't breathe, I can't open my eyes.

I need to leave immediately.

Walk.

Walk.

Darkness swallows me. Walking doesn't help. I get deeper and deeper into it until I reach the midst. Now, I'm far from both ends. I'm nowhere.

 

Two Worlds

 

My sister is talking.

I hear her.

I hear her but I can't reply.

Maybe it's because I can't understand her. Or maybe I can't talk now, maybe it's because of that. Who knows.

I have to go. I have to leave. I don't know where.

Where is _she_ now?

Where is _he_ now?

_Where the fuck is he now?_

 

Tumbling Lights 

 

I have to stay in the moment.

I have to be here. I have to be in now.

People say I have gone mad. I can't have gone mad. Madness is constant. I don't have time for madness. How long has it been since? Five months, three days. Good.

What was the first thing happened? Put it together. Put it together now. Don't rush yourself. You'll be fine, you are going to make this.

She said yes.

 

She said yes.

 

She died.

 

Yes, she died.

 

 

He is in my room. He is looking at my things. He is taking his time. And slowly, he turns to me. "I'm sorry, sister." he says. "I know what she meant to you." That's the only thing he says. FUCK OFF EDWARD. I WANT YOU TO ROT. I WANT YOU TO DECAY. I WANT INSECTS TO EAT YOU PIECE BY PIECE FOR ETERNITY.

You know, he has always been a bastard. My brother. My beloved brother. I could have died for him. I could have given my life for him.

Now I want to see him cut in pieces.

 

Concentrate, Zelda. 

 

I need to get her out.

Where am I?

 

She died.

I saw her die. I watched her die.

My bastard of a brother held me and we watched her die. There was so much blood. I never thought it was possible for someone to have that much blood. You know, she had always described herself as a wild animal. My Lilith. It was ironic really. Or maybe not. Or maybe they were the ones that she could trust. Caged creatures like herself.

 

WHERE THE FUCK IS SHE? 

 

It's all very misty. I only see shapes. I shout but no one seems to notice. I shouldn't freak. I have to concentrate. I walk around. 

The thread doesn't let me go further. I walk back and then go right. I keep on walking. My sight gets fuzzy. Am I crying? There is no time for that. I have to go on. I have to keep on.

 

And then I see her.

She looks exactly the same. How is that -

LILITH?! 

 

LILITH WE HAVE TO GO.

 

She comes to me. She runs to me. And throws her arms around me. "How did you-" she asks, I don't let her finish. "We have to go. We have to go now!" I hold her hand and we start running. She tries to say she is sorry. Shut the fuck up we have to get out. Once we are out you'll have the eternity to say you're sorry. Stop now and run. I have to get you out. I have to get us out. We run and run and run. This is the first time I have felt alive for five months and three days. We reach the threshold.

 

 

 

**Everything went white.**

**_This is the end._ **

 

 

I have lost the love of my life. She killed herself. She threw herself in a lions' cage. They devoured her to death. The first part they attacked was her face. Three of them ate her face until no skin was left. Then they went for other parts of her body. Her legs. Her stomach. They ripped her apart. People tried to get her out of the cage but it was too late. Lions are fast, you see. 

She was there with Edward. He took her there to talk to her about his marriage plans. To another woman. A mortal. Her name is Diana. _A plain, simple mortal._

He told me in the morning, before he took her there. He said I could have her now, if I still wanted to. He said he only asked her to marry him to silence her and more importantly give me a lesson.

I should have snapped his neck right there.

 

When he told her she got frustrated. She lost it. She lost it completely. I couldn't stop her. I couldn't-

I know, she hated herself for all of it. She blamed herself, she hated what she thought she had become. And she ended it. She ended it all.

 

Edward held me, I-

I'd walk the hell for her, you see. I would. So I decided to do so.

 

And I couldn't get her out. The Soul Eater got her in the edge. I was so close. I nearly had it all.

 

I have lost the love of my life. She killed herself. And then I killed her. She died twice.

 

Hilda and I moved out. Everything is still so fuzzy for me. I still can't collect the things that happened between the day Edward proposed her and the day I went in limbo. They say my mind is still fighting against it all. Who knows? Who cares? Getting away helped though. We moved to this town, Greendale. No one knows us here, it's fine, it's good. The best part is I'm far away from him now. For Satan knows, what I would do if we were still in the same city. They say I attacked him several times before moving out. I don't remember any of it. He has a daughter now. He impregnated that mortal and had a half witch daughter. _My Lilith died so that she can live._

I still use a lot of things to calm down. Hilda has literally become my nurse. And I can't say I'm much of a helping hand. I've become a sour woman. There is shallowness within every bit of me and I don't think it'll ever be fixed. I'm numb, and I'm still here. When everyone leaves, when everything disappears, I'll still be here. And that is my punishment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was Chapter 10 Special... Please tell me what you think...
> 
> I know it sounds like an ending but it's not...
> 
> I see a BAD MOON RISING but for whom I wonder....


	11. A New Breath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, we jump a bit in time now but this one (still) is a follow up to the previous chapter. And guess who is the pov in this chapter.

_Tickles._ There he was standing before my face. And then he was gone.  _You are such an alarm clock, Salem._

I jumped out of the bed and got dressed and went directly downstairs. The whole family was already there. This house never slept.

"Aunties, Ambrose." I greeted them.

Ambrose and Aunt Hilda, of course, answered back and Aunt Zee, of course, didn't. She was burried in the newspaper, as always.  _I hope she stays that way._ I turned to my other auntie who just sat on the table, eager to eat the food on her plate.  _Come on, Hilda. I need you._ I tried to meet her gaze but no. Impossible. I pinched Ambrose.

"Aww!"  _Damn it Ambrose, you're such a child._ I gave Ambrose a warning look and pointed Hilda with my eyes as Zelda lowered her newspaper.

"What is going on between you two?"

"Nothing." I immediately answered and turned to Hilda hoping that I can meet her gaze now. _No. Really auntie? Unbelievable._ Even Zelda was distracted but she was still all about the food on her plate.

Zelda gave both Ambrose and me a look but then turned back to her newspaper. Ambrose mouthed  _WHAT?!_ I pointed at Hilda. He finally got it and pinched Hilda to get her attention.

"Awwww!"  _Seriously Ambrose?_ Aunt Hilda looked at Ambrose, all confused while Ambrose looked away. He looked like a naughty boy denying his actions. And Aunt Zelda lowered her newspaper again, rolling her eyes and then looked directly at me. _I hate it when she gives me that look._

 _"_ Yes, Sabrina, you may tell me why you so desperately need your Aunt Hilda's help and why you are so desperate to keep it a secret from me?"  _And I hate that she knows everything._

Hilda finally looked at me. _Thanks Auntie._

"It's nothing, Auntie Zee. Promise."

"Do not lie."  _I give up._

"It's about school, Auntie. Principle Hawthorne says he needs to see you." The look on Zelda's face turns. "But only one of you, you see. And it's not an important matter. Auntie Hilda can take care of it." I want to fast forward the whole thing and then just disappear and be done with it. Wouldn't that be nice.

Zelda didn't even flinch. "What have you done?"

"Nothing, Auntie, seriously. I mean, you said no magic with the mortals. You said we do not have the right to change the course of their lives-"

"Yes-"

"-so I had to solve everything the human way. I mean if I can't hurt that bastard with magic I'll hurt him in mortal way. So... I did that..."

Zelda was growing impatient, I could see it in her eyes.

"What exactly have you done, Sabrina Spellman?"

"I might have put a camera in the class where this so called very-heterosexual guy was having a very-not-heterosexual sex with another guy. AUNTIE. HE DESERVED IT. AFTER ALL HE DID TO SUSIE-"

"Sabrina-"

"But, you know, it all went down, because, i had left a note in the class. And these two were busted. And then Principal Hawthorne found the note so..."

Ambrose started laughing. "How can you be so dumb, cuz?" 

"I wanted revenge and I wanted him to know that I was the one that did it and if he dared bully Susie again the video would be all over the town. But- yeah Principal Hawthorne found it first."

"I'll bake some cookies and make them forget it all." Yes, Auntie, that is all I need. I wish you got the signals a bit earlier though.

"You are not doing anything. At least not yet." Aunt Zelda turned to me, her eyes were lit up. "We'll take Susie's revenge first and not just from that boy but from the whole pack of them. And from Principal Hawthorne as well, for not putting an end to this until this point."

Ambrose started rubbing his hands together. Zelda continued.

"You may do as you like with the boys, Sabrina. And for this once, magic is allowed. And leave Principal Hawthorne to me." She winked. 

You know, I love my Auntie to death. But times like this, I love her even more.

"Your wish is my command, Auntie." And I stood up from the table but a thought stopped me.

"Auntie Zee?"

"Yes?"

I smirked. "I heard that he is scared of spiders."

My Aunt gave me a wicked smile. "How scared?"

"Terribly."

"And your source? Is he reliable?"

"It's a she. And she is very reliable." 

 

I went to school after meeting the weird sisters in the woods. The plan was ready and now all I had to do was to wait the witching hour.

As I walked in the school, I saw Zelda standing in front of Principal Hawthorne's office. She was smiling in the most odd way.

"Auntie?" She looked at me.

"Hello, Sabrina. How are things going?"  _She enjoys this way too much._

"Smoothly. What about you?"

She smirked. "The most fun part is about to start." The bell rang as we speak. "Now go to your class and we'll talk afterwards. 

 

5 more minutes.

 

4

 

Oh, come on. Satan knows what Zelda did to the poor man. 

Do not chuckle, Sabrina, you are still in the class.

Harvey looks so charming in that coat.

Come on, will this lesson ever end?

2

 

And bell. THANKS.

I rushed out of the class to find my Auntie reclining back to the wall next to the door. She had a silly smile on her face, as if she was in love or something. But, of course, that wasn't the case. The only thing that could make Zelda smile like that would be dark magic.

"Aunt Zelda?" She looked at me. Her eyes were glowing.

"Praise Satan, I feel good. I think you will not see him in the school premises for some time now. And when he comes back, he will never let bullying go without consequences." She chuckled.

"What have you done, Auntie. Please, tell-"

"-Sabrina?" It was the voice of my teacher who just came out of the class door. I turned to face her. She looked rather shocked. It was as if she was pinned at where she was standing.

Aunt Zee was still chuckling. She was all drunk over the things she had done to Principal Hawthorne.

"Miss Wardwell?" I replied, but the women was looking at Aunt Zee, still in shock. I poked Zelda immediately. She had to pull herself together.

Zelda coughed lightly to turn back to her serious self, and stood straight. Then she greeted Miss Wardwell and extended her hand to her.

"I am Sabrina's aunt. Zelda Spellman. How do you do?"

Aunt Zee's hand hung on the air a bit.  _Should I-_

"Ah, I'm sorry, Miss... Spellman. I'm Mary Wardwell."

"Sabrina has told us a lot about you. How very nice to meet you."

"Pleasure is mine." And an awkward silence. 

"I... I should go. Principal Hawthorne wanted to see me." Aunt Zee chuckled again.

"I'm not so sure he is in a state to see anyone right now."  _Satan, Auntie..._ Don't you dare laugh Sabrina.

Miss Wardwell seemed confused. "Okay... See you... Sabrina." And she walked away. We started laughing our lungs out as soon as Miss Wardwell was out of sight. 

"I guess I just met your favorite teacher and also... your source." She looked down at me with the smile still hanging on her face.

"Yes. She is an amazing person. And you weren't so kind." She rolled her eyes. "We kept laughing. I hope we didn't upset her or something... it was a bit rude." She had seemed pretty disturbed for a second. I had to fix it and be sure there was no misunderstanding.

"Oh, Sabrina, stop with the nonsense. I'm quite joyous right now, don't spoil it. Besides, she looks like a confident woman. She is pretty and all that... Few laughters won't break her."

"You constantly shock me, Auntie. I can't believe you called someone pretty." She looked down at me, now, seriously.

"What? When someone is pretty, I call them pretty. Come on now, enough for today. Let's us go home. I want to tell Hilda all about today."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im looking forward to hear what you think. I have an idea of where this is going now. There are still some chapters to come back to that timeline but please remember the first and the third chapter takes place in current whereas the others are all the events of the past.


	12. Collateral Damage

Mary hardly pulled herself aside after she was finally out of the Spellmans' eyesight.  _Deep breaths. Pull your act together. Now_. She knew this was coming. She had prepared herself for this. Yet one was never prepared for some things.

She remembered that she was still in the corridor when Rosie approached her and asked if she was alright. Mary did not speak, she just gestured that she was fine and walked away immediately. She needed to be alone. 

Once she got in her room, she closed the door and reclined back on it, her thoughts rushing her brain. She looked beyond the window. The stillness outside calmed her down and reminded her of the pace of time. Unlike what she felt, nothing was on rush, she had time for everything.  _Time will solve this. Time solves everything_ , she thought as she closed her eyes, her body starting to relax.

As a teardrop streamed down her cheek, she chuckled lightly. Zelda looked happy. She hadn't seen her happy for so long. Even before...

Memories rushed through her brain, reminisces of the past filled her thoughts.  _Zelda. My sweet Zelda._

Zelda who was always there for her. Zelda who walked the realms for her. Zelda who cared. The only person that actually cared.

Mary found herself pressing her fingers on her forehead. She immediately moved her hand away for she knew it was a mere gesture of her trying to stop the voices in her head. She hit the wall, fully aware of what was going on. Her face had turned, her eyes ice cold, yet her looks, fiery.

"You are not taking this away from me Zee." she said to herself outloud.  _No one, NO ONE can intervene._ She remembered the flames. She remembered the smell of burning flesh. She had always been a woman who was very hard to intimidate. However, when it was your flesh on flames, it was hard to look away or not take the smell in. She saw people burn. She smelled them burn. And she saw herself burn, she took in the smell of her burning flesh.

She remembered the wrath. She remembered the pits. And she remembered the loop. The never ending loop.  _What is dead may never die._

And she remembered her Saviour. Her Saviour who put an end to her pains. After all, it is the Fallen who could understand the fallen.

That Lilith was long gone.  _Your brother killed that Lilith, Zelda. And what you are left with is the Mother of Demons._

 

_Shame._

 

She walked to the window. 

The Mother of Demons wiped away the tears that welled in her eyes. "Sorry, Zelda." She swallowed. "Collateral Damage."

 

 

Everyone was quite joyous back in the Spellman House. Ambrose and Sabrina were briefly told about the events of the day whereas Hilda was informed about every single detail. Zelda had turned into a literal child whilst telling her little sister about the things she had done to Principal Hawthorne. Her eyes shined all through, and it warmed Hilda's heart.

They were still laughing about it all when Sabrina entered the living room. Zelda turned to her niece, standing at the door.

"I thought you were in bed." she said, between laughs. Hilda turned to Sabrina as well.

Once their little one, now a young woman, slowly walked to her Aunties. She looked rather upset.

"What's wrong, darling?" Hilda asked. She sounded worried.

"Nothing. Just..." She showed the broken frame she was hiding behind her back. The two witches knew whose photograph was in it. Hilda looked at Zelda who did not take her eyes away from the photo frame Sabrina was holding. Hilda chuckled audibly, as if trying to clear the clouds.

"Don't be foolish, darling. We can fix it with a snap of fingers." Hilda took it from Sabrina. Zelda still hadn't said a word, she was looking at the floor, trying to avoid any eye contact.

"It's not that, Auntie. It's... I mean it hurts that I only have that... And it can simply... Break. Look, I'm sorry, I'm... You're right. It's nothing. I'm going up." Sabrina turned away and walked.

"Come back here." Zelda's words stopped her midway. She walked to her Aunt.

Zelda pushed herself and put on a little smile. Sabrina tried to smile back but couldn't.

"Hilda, leave us alone."

"Are you-"

"Yes. Please." Hilda nodded and walked to her niece to give her a kiss and a tight hug. Sabrina felt better with her touch. Hilda whispered in her ear saying she'll be waiting for her in Sabrina's room. And then she left.

Once Zelda was sure Hilda was gone, she patted on her knee. Sabrina gave her a little smile and put her head on her Auntie's knee. Zelda stroked her niece's hair.

"Tell me about them,  Auntie."

"Sabrina-"

"Please." Zelda swallowed.

"Your father... was the smartest, the most talented warlock of his generation. He was very brave as well. And your mother... I didn't know her.. that well... but she was a good and kind soul. They both loved you very very much."

"Tell me a memory, Auntie. Please."

Zelda could remember some. But she wasn't sure Sabrina would have enjoyed to hear those. She pushed herself again. For her niece.

"I remember the first time I saw you. You were in your mother's arms. And the way they looked at you-" _The way they looked at you. The only time I felt something melt in me. The only time I felt something good about my own brother and his wife._ And then Zelda had to punish herself for the betrayal. She shouldn't have felt for them, she shouldn't have let the ice break, not even a bit. Not after-

"-I know it's not the same but you have us, Sabrina. You'll always have us."

"I know, Auntie. And I'm so lucky to have you. I feel truly lucky that you took me in but... I just can't stop it sometimes..." Zelda took her niece in her arms and cradled her just like when she was a little baby. She put small kisses on her hair.

"Life has many brutal and unexpected turns. It's never easy and it'll never be easy. But you are a very strong and a very brave girl. And you'll have me in all turns and twists. Always. Is that undersood?"

The blonde witch nodded between tears and gave her Aunt a tight hug.

"I love you, Auntie."

"I love you too." She kissed her head once again.

 


	13. Break the Rules

_I've walked the mortal earth for far too long._ The cottage seemed to get smaller and smaller, as if its walls were coming her way in a very fast pace, about to crack her bones and turn her into dust.

She wanted to go back. She wanted to be at the Dark Lord's side again. But it was an impossible thing to ask at this point. Sabrina had refused to have her Dark Baptism. Lilith was no naive but for a moment she really had thought that she could be over with it all just like that.  _Sabrina will sign the Book, and all will end,_ she thought. But no. Hell forbid no. How could Faustus manage his one single task, just like that? 

And for her Aunts. Hilda was never dark enough. And... She... She had grown hard in every way. She was not like the woman Lilith remembered. No joy, less patience. But when it came to Sabrina, she was all...  _weak_. Lilith couldn't help but felt something break in her. She felt  _betrayed. How could you take her in Zelda? How could you forget? I thought you-_

Lilith pushed away the thoughts. She had grown the ability to push away anything that held her back. But there were so many thoughts to push away nowadays, she was afraid it all might collapse onto her.

She avoided the Spellman House, and concentrated only on Sabrina. This task she was given, it was very hard but as she got to know Sabrina she could easily draw the path she must take to get Sabrina where she wanted her to be. She was so much like someone she knew once. Someone that she burried in the pits of hell and made sure she did not bring back on the soil.This plan she had, it was easy to draw the map, yet it was very hard to put on work. She had to be very patient and very calm during the whole process. Everything had to go slowly and smoothly. And for that she had to keep an eye on everyone and everything. Faustus had proved his incompetencies already which made Lilith add him to her watchlist as well.  _I have all this on my plate, and Faustus,_ she thought _. Babysitting._ It still amazed her how the hell he had become the High Priest.  _Useless warlock. Nothing but a push-back._

She had sent Stolas to the Academy to check him after his recent failure and caos Sabrina recently caused. She was in no mood to see his face so she hoped there was no alarming thing going on.

As she paced her living room for the hundredth of time Stolas came through the window. There was no alarming situation worthy of the Demoness' time but something turned in _Lilith_ when she heard one certain name.

 

"The Dark Lord is not without mercy. But he'll require total submission from the girl."

"And he shall have it. I promise you."

The way she looked at Faustus. It was far too similar. It shouldn't have been that similar. Lilith felt the anger boiling in her.  _The man whore. Does he really think he'll succeed by seducing her Aunt? Isn't this a play that men like him mock women for? Does he really think he can get Sabrina in the path of night by-_

She clenched at the shelf she was hiding behind. 

"I don't enjoy being watched." Lilith was startled by the words as she was carried away in her thoughts. Zelda had already left the room, it was her and Blackwood now. She immediately fixed her posture and walked in the light. 

"The girl is my charge." Lilith said, her eyes found the veins beneath the skin of her neck. Her irritation raising along with his pulse. "I can't risk leaving her fate in lesser hands." She was careful to be ambiguous about who she was talking about.

"And yet it is your own incompetence that has brought us to this moment." Blackwood played along with her. Lilith smirked at this.  _Bold,_ she thought. He was pushing the limits too hard.  _How much did he know?_ Blackwood knew about her identity  _but how much did he know about Zelda and her?_ The uncertainty bothered her terribly so she made sure the rest of the conversation would solely be about Sabrina.  _Enough of word plays._

"I eased her to the altar, as is my way. A hand on her shoulder, whisper in her ear. But she was _at_ the altar, Blackwood. _You_ failed to get the signature."

"My dear, _Demoness_. Your methods are weak, your will is womanly, now I will be the hammer that drives this nail home."  _Fucking moron._

"You're blunt like a hammer, that's true, but don't underrestimate her a warlock. And don't disrespect _me_. High Priest or not, _you're still a man. And I feast on male flesh."_

 

Zelda was out in town, walking on the streets, checking out the shop windows. It was windy and rainy and there was almost no one in the streets except from her. She enjoyed the sounds of the weather and the lack of mortal noises.

 _"Miss Spellman"_ Zelda turned around to meet the piercing blue eyes. They had turned a bit greener today. The soil and rain had given them some sort of tranquility and sadness. It was a beautiful sight.

"Miss-"

"-Wardwell" 

"-I'm sorry, everything went pretty fast that day." The woman did not take her eyes from her until she smiled and looked down. In that moment Zelda had the strangest feeling-

"Yes, it did. And it's not important. I was in such rush, we couldn't properly speak." The woman met Zelda's eyes again as she spoke. Zelda was a bit confused but she couldn't move or snap like she would normally do in these sort of situations.

Mary continued "I know a teacher shouldn't pick her favorites... But Sabrina is definitely mine. And... I admire what you did, do" Zelda studied her and realized Mary was doing the same. "You raised her. And you did a perfect job... I just wanted to say that..."

"Thank you."  _What is this_ , Zelda thought. Although the woman was cleary showing her admiration, Zelda couldn't help it but got a bit suspicious. She did not know this woman and all of a sudden, she was speaking as if she had been waiting to have this conversation for so long.

"Thank you." Mary replied back with a smile in the corner of her lips and eyes. "See you around."

"Yes." Zelda replied as she watched this strange woman put her hands in the pockets of her black coat and walk away from her.

Confused, Zelda turned her back to her.

"Actually-" Zelda turned back to the woman that came to her way with quick steps. She met her eyes once again.

"Do you wanna grab a coffee or something?" Something in Mary's eyes made Zelda sigh out a yes immediately. Just this once in many years she was in the moment. She felt like an "I" not "she".

The questions that would normally appear on her mind in such situation left their places to the basic questions one asked while getting to know someone. 

She was following the tide.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved playing with the Blackwood/Zelda then Blackwood/Madam Satan scene. Can you believe they actually did that in the show though? They are baiting me!!! So I used it again and adjusted it according to my purposes.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it


	14. Bleeding Through the Darkness

She watched the man button his shirt as she sat up on the bed. Zelda couldn't help but want him to stay with her a bit more but she wouldn't dare ask him. 

Deep down, she always knew they were going to end up in a situation such as this. They had a fling once when they were both at The Academy. It was after  _her death,_ when Faustus, once more, tried to approach Zelda and for once she  _really_ did let him.

It was a lame attempt to make herself feel alive again. She had forced him to be harsh on her, stepping on his tale, hurting his pride in every possible way to make him mad so that he could actually make her feel something, anything.

And the outcome? Some blood spills. Bruises. _Emptiness_.

And after that the whole thing had become normal. This whole rough sex became the only way she had sex. It wasn't about making love, sharing intimacy: it was about stopping the voices, silencing the emotinal pain with the physical pain.

Zelda never had sex with women after she passed away. It was only men.

So she was shaken when she realized she wanted Faustus to stay by her side now. I don't need anyone, she said to herself. And repeated it until the voices of rejection in her head were silenced.

Faustus kissed her on her forehead and left without saying anything. It was cold.

She wore her night gown and went downstairs. The house was in deep sleep. She stepped in the moon light on the kitchen floor and looked out as she sipped the dark coffee she had just made herself. She found herself hearing Mary's voice.

_"He made me feel unworthy. That's why he had to disappear. And that is that. It is my life after all Zelda, and I'm not selling it out to anyone. How dare he?"_

They had become friends of sorts with the woman. Mary was pressing all the right buttons without really being aware of it and that was one of very few interesting things Zelda had come across for ages. Her life was all mortal in the most boring way. But the way she expressed herself, her experiences were extraordinary. She had some boldness in her, some rebellion in her that made Zelda listen to her carefully. And not to mention her experiences with lovers were strangely relatable.

She used to have an abusive boyfriend that she was madly in love with but she managed to get away from him.  _What would she think if she knew what kind of a person I really am,_ Zelda thought.

Since the day Mary asked her if she'd like to have some coffee, it was always Mary that talked about her life. Zelda was generally the ear, in this newly made friendship. It was comforting to have someone new to talk to, someone that did not force you to speak but okay with your silence.

But, of course, this friendship was between the two of them. Mary had asked her not to tell anyone about it since it could create a scene at school, as if she cared about Sabrina and looked after her more than the others just because she was friends with her aunt. Zelda was more than okay with this since she did not want to hear her family babbling about her being friends with a mortal. 

As she was thinking about how they would react to it if they found out, she saw the note on the table.

_Tomorrow. 10 p.m._

_At the Academy._

_F._

_Dungeons probably_ , Zelda thought. _Good, so that I won't have any thoughts of making him lay down with me._

 

"Zelda? It is very late, what are you doing here?" The question caught Zelda off-guard. She came back to her senses and realize where she is at, and who is standing in front of her.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come."  _Stupid, stupid witch_ , she thought. _What was I thinking, coming here? Was I even thinking?_ She turned her back to walk away from the brunette.

"Zelda!" Mary called out and then rushed out to catch her. "Please. Do come in. I was a bit shocked to see you here, that's all. Please."

Zelda looked her in the eyes and finally nodded. She let Mary take her in.

"Coffee?" Mary asked, as she closed the front door after they both entered the house.

"Something stronger." Mary nodded. She came back with a bottle of whisky, matching the smell of Zelda's breath. Mary poured two for both of them as she studied Zelda.

"Thanks."

Mary sat on the sofa right across her. 

"I'm listening." Zelda met the eyes of her that were filled with care. With actual care. She hadn't seen that look for so long.

She looked down at her glass. 

_Silence._

Mary leaned forward to catch her gaze, but no.

"Zelda. I told you about all my life. I opened up my soul to you. You can tell me anything. _Don't you think it's time for you to trust me?_ " 

Zelda sighed in distress. When she looked up at Mary, her eyes were filled with tears but they were still looking strong: complete opposite of what the tears indicate.

Mary gave her a supportive nod. Zelda took a deep breath as she took her hair to side to unzip her dress. Mary straightened on the sofa, confused, and scared of what was coming. She took her arms ouf of the sleeves one by one. She was doing it very slowly that it agonized Mary. Then she saw how agonizing it actually was for Zelda. She flinched every time the dress moved on her skin.  _No, Lilith thought as Zelda slowly turned her back to her._

_The F was still bleeding._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are all welcomed, I wanna know what you think xx


	15. Bleeding Through the Darkness Part 2

Lilith rushed to the woman seated right across her. Her back was still turned to her.

Tears of anger rushed to this new face of Lilith. Zelda turned her head to side to catch a glimpse of Mary's reaction. She closed her eyes as she felt Mary's hand on her skin.

Mary got closer to the wounds to check how severe Zelda's injuries were. The woman flinched under her touch.  _Bastard. Bastard bastard bastard._

"Don't say anything. Please." Zelda said. Mary swallowed hard as she tried to control her anger.  _How could you let him do this to you?_ She rose up to her feet and started pacing along the room but stopped in few second to turn to look at Zelda's wounds again.

When Zelda turned to Mary, she saw the woman shut her mouth tightly with her hand, and gone all red. Her wide blue orbs looked like a dark blue ocean, as they have darkened. They got deeper and deeper and Zelda couldn't see what lied in the bottom. It was intense.

Not being able to keep her silence longer, Mary spoke. "How dare he? How dare you let him do this to you?"

Zelda pulled up her dress that was on her waist, motioned to put the sleeves back on. 

"Don't. It will stick to your skin and give you hell."  _Stupid, stupid witch. You always use magic, don't you?_ The question stopped her thoughts for a second.  _Why didn't you use magic already, Zelda? What are you waiting for?_  Lilith wanted to heal her so badly, she wanted to end her suffering but she knew better that she couldn't possibly use magic on Zelda. It would crush all this new identity she had created, all the stories she had told her to gain her trust, to keep her under control. _And to keep her safe._

_And to keep her away from Blackwood._

The ginger witch nodded. 

"I'll bring something." 

Mary left the room. Zelda took a deep breath to delay bursting into tears once again. Mary came back with a kit.

"Turn your back to me." Zelda obeyed.

_Silence. Only the stuff coming out of the kit._

Zelda finally spoke.

"It got out of hand." Mary stopped and looked at the witch who had lowered her head, probably playing with her fingers.

"I can see that much." Zelda rose to her feet with sudden anger. The sense of who she was and who the other woman was had finally hit her. It felt like waking up from a dream. Or a nightmare.

"I'm not here for you to scold me. And who are you to scold me?" Mary rose to her feet as well. Zelda could see the rage in her, it was strangely intimate, strangely close.

"Why are you here? Ha? Why did you come to me?"

Zelda searched her eyes but the woman was not giving away anything.

"It was a mistake apparently." She moved again to put the dress back on. Mary held her arm and looked down. She gave up. 

"I said don't." She caught Zelda's eyes again.

"Why do you care? Why do you care so much?" 

Silence fell again. Mary let go off Zelda's arm. She swallowed.

"You asked the questions until this point. And you had your answers to all of them. I am not answering anymore. Sit down." She sounded so stern and so tired. Zelda obeyed once again: sat down and turned her back.

Zelda flinched when Mary touched her skin to clear the wounds.

"I'm sorry." Mary said.

" _I'm sorry_." Mary stopped again to look at the ginger who now turned her head to side. The moment last until Zelda faced the fireplace again and turned her face away from Mary.

She continued. "I don't know why I came here. I wasn't thinking. I just found myself here... And I already trust you, Mary. I probably trust you more than I should."

Her last sentence stopped Lilith. It ached her.

Zelda spoke again. "I haven't told you anything about myself until this point because... I mean, _look at me._ I know _this_ is wrong. And I know you can understand it since you have your own experiences with a toxic relationship. But it is not about that with me." She took another moment before she spoke again. "This is very hard for me. This _talking_. I have never done this since-"

Lilith stopped again. _Don't do it now, Zelda. I'm not ready. I'm not ready._

Zelda collected all the strength she had in her and turned around to face Mary. No more running. No more hiding. And if she hates her for it, so be it.

"Faustus and I. We do this, you see. We do this quite often. This is the only way we have sex. This is the only way I have sex. And I do it to myself as well. It helps." She stopped again. The urge to hold Mary's hand was so strong and Zelda let her body take the charge. Her mind was not interfering anymore.

Mary looked at her hand. She let her.

This gave Zelda the strength to go on. She had a heart aching smile on her face now. She spoke through her tears.

"There are so many voices, Mary. I am so tired of hearing all these voices. The flesh dies. The flesh rots. It turns into ashes. But the voices. They don't die, do they?" Zelda chuckled in pain. "Do you hear things too? I hear my mother and father. I hear Sabrina's mother, Diana. I hear my brother. I hear- I hear  _her. I still fucking hear her._ "

Lilith was visibly shaken by the last remark. She wanted to run. She wanted to run until there was no air left in her lungs. Until she was away from this place. This woman.

"Oh, I miss her. I still miss her so damn much." The woman crumbled.  _I'm here Zelda. I'm here, everything is fine._ Lilith wanted to tell her. Lilith wanted to scream her the truth. 

But she didn't.

Instead she took the witch down to the floor and held her tight. She cradled her like a baby and soothed her. "It'll be all right, Zelda. Everything's going to be all right."

Zelda rested her head on Mary's neck. And something twitched in her. Lilith remembered this feeling. How could she ever forget, _had_ _n't she died because of it?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go


	16. The Point of No Return

Lilith wanted to push her away but her hands were not following the orders, her arms not willing to release the woman that they enveloped.  _What am I going to do?_

Zelda had started breathing normally, and she was shaking less. It took another moment for her to realize how intimate they got. She moved to distance herself from Mary.  _But couldn't._ For she moved only to meet the eyes of the other woman. It was incredibly close and Zelda knew Mary could easily feel her breath on her face. If she was breathing, of course.

Zelda held her breath, unable to look away from those blue eyes. They seemed like an ocean pulling her in and she did not know if she had it in her to survive it without drowning.

Mary lowered her eyes to Zelda's lips. And in an instant Zelda felt her lips on her own. The kiss was -hungry. Almost  _animal._

Mary immediately pulled away, shocked with herself. "Zelda, I'm so sorry. I-"

"-I... Maybe I should go."

"-Yes. Right." It got very awkward between the two. Zelda motioned to stand up and pulled the dress once again. Mary was still on the floor avoiding the eye contact.

Until Zelda hissed with pain.

The whole thing made the two of them forgot about it. Lilith stood up as she came back to her senses.

"Okay... You're not doing that. Let's- forget what I just did."

"-Mary..."

"-Zelda, I can't let you go anywhere in this state. That is that. You are staying. You can stay in my room. I'll sleep here. And let's- Forget what happened. Can we do that, please?"

Zelda kept looking at her while Mary did her best to look at her as empty as possible. The ginger witch wanted to say something but she couldn't seem to find what that was. So she nodded in silence.

"Good. Very good. So- Follow me." Mary led the way to her bedroom. Zelda followed the woman until they reached a door. Mary opened it and walked in.

"So... This is the room. Lie face down." Mary uttered the last part quiet normally but Zelda looked at her, with wide open eyes.

"I'll dress the wounds." And they both started laughing. "This is so fucked up." said Mary, between the laughs. Zelda walked to the bed and obeyed, not able to stop laughing. Mary followed with the kit and started wrapping her wounds. She had stopped laughing.

"These are deep, you are aware of that right?"

Zelda got serious as well. She did not turn to Lilith while answering.

"He went too far this time... An F... I-"

"Sssh. What is done is done. You don't have to talk about it anymore. You can't change it. Just- Just don't let him do it again, Zelda." Zelda did not turn to her nor did she reply back. Lilith kept staring at the other woman. _She won't listen._

 _What have I done to you Zelda?_ Her hand reached for Zelda's hair but she stopped herself.

Mary stood up. "Do not lie on your back, choose whatever you like from the wardrobe and- I'll see you in morning." Zelda did not reply and kept on staring at the wallpaper as the brunette left the room.

And for Lilith,  _she had somewhere else to go._

 

Faustus was still in his room at the Academy. Lilith hid behind the books until he sensed her. 

"Demoness. Your visits got so frequent. How very nice." He hissed.

"I can't seem to stay away from you, Blackwood. Everything just... leads to you." She walked to the chair in front of his desk and made herself comfortable. The contrast between their postures were telling a whole different story: as if the room belonged to the Mother of Demons and not to the High Priest.

Blackwood smirked. "That happens. Women always seem to find their way to this room." He knew he was in a dangerous territory but he wasn't going to back down and let this demon smash his pride.

The demoness' eyes burned through the mortal she possessed. She smirked in reply. She had a wicked smile on her face now. "I am no woman."

"Yet you are here."

The demoness stood up, trying to cover up her irritation and started pacing the room. "I came to tell a story to you, Faustus. A story, I believe, will come in use in a very very near future. Do you want to hear it?"

"Do I have a choice?" He rolled his eyes.

"You most certainly do not. Because when I tell you to do something  _you obey." Faustus swallowed his anger. And fright._ Lilith walked to pour herself a drink.

"Once upon a time" she said with a childlike voice. "There was this very strong, very bright man. Everyone thought he was invincible, untouchable. That no one had the power to take him down. They praised him so much that he started believing the same as well." She took a sip. "He thought he got bigger and bigger. His walks, the way he stood changed. He was so high that he could not see who surrounded him. And-" She smashed the glass onto the floor. Blackwood flinched. " _Gone."_ Lilith wore a mask of shock and sadness. She continued mockingly. "And nobody knew what happened to him. Oh the poor man! Wait, did I say 'what happened' I meant: what had _actually_ happened. All the best and worst things hide in the shadows." She walked to the desk. "Does this remind you any particular event? No need to answer. Just- be careful,  _my dear boy._ This is my first and last warning. Stay away from what is not yours. Because I do not leave _marks_. But I do know a very good funeral home."

And she disappeared. _Faustus, of course, knew what she was talking about._

 

The mother of demons had the sense to not appear in the middle of the living room.

She opened the front door with a key to find a sleepy Zelda staring at her. She had worn one of her sleeping gowns.

"Zelda?"

"Where did you go?" Lilith closed the door, trying to come up with an answer in the meantime.

"I felt I needed some fresh air."

Zelda nodded. "Right." Silence fell between the two.

"You need to rest. Why are you walking around? Do you need something? I can make-"

"No. No. Nothing. I just- couldn't sleep."

"Something bothering you?" Mary got closer. She seemed worried. Her expression made Zelda look closer to her.

"You-" she chuckled. "You are too good. I- You leave me speechless sometimes." Mary looked down and smiled to herself.

"I think I should go." Mary got closer again and touched her arm.

"Zelda. I'm a grown woman. And it was just a kiss. I can deal with it, all right? It is not the first time I got rejected." She gave her a reassuring smile. "Stop speaking nonsense. And go to bed."

Zelda swallowed. She replied without taking her eyes off Mary's hand on her arm. "What if _I_ can't." She met Mary's eyes and stood straight, trying to hold it together.

"What if it is me that can't deal with it because- I really wanted to kiss you back." The look on Mary's face changed. Zelda could feel she got tense. She continued because she knew that she could only say these things once. "I told you about -her. It's just that I see her in every women I try to get intimate. And that is painful. So I have given up long time ago. But with you- something pulls me in. It is so-" Mary met her lips once again. And this time Zelda let go. Mary talked before the kiss deepened.

"It is so very hard to make you talk, Zelda Spellman, and even harder to shut you up." Without parting their lips, Mary took her to the couch. Zelda sat on her lap as the kiss got more and more passionate. Mary cupped her face and parted their lips. They were both out of breath. "Stop me anytime." Zelda immediately replied. "It is good." And leaned back on brunette's lips. Her hands trailed on Mary's leather jacket and took it off. Then went for the zip of her dress. Mary looked at the woman on her lap and pretended to be shocked and jealous. "This gown is so beautiful! Whose is it?" Zelda stopped and chuckled. "Some woman's." Mary looked at her mischievously. "Some woman... She has a nice taste. You should thank her." 

"I can think of a way or two." Zelda slowly let the straps fall. Her face had turned very serious that Mary knew she was in a delicate territory. She slowly touched Zelda's face and looked at her, she looked at all of her while Zelda leaned on her touch. The first moment of passion had passed and now they were both aware of what they were getting into and how impossible this whole thing was going to be. But there was no choice. They were way past the point of no return. Mary slowly took her down to herself again and gave her a kiss, stronger than every word. Her hand went to Zelda's now bare breast, right on her heart.

A tear touched Lilith's cheek at that moment and she knew it wasn't her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry I had to finish it there... But you know how that goes it had to finish there!!! So what do you think?? Can you guess where this is going??


	17. Weak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let's go

Zelda felt as if her skin was being torn. She woke up and turned to see the cause and met Mary's face. She had worn a satin nightgown and a blue robe. She looked all messy. And beautiful. Zelda started laughing as the other woman had a very strange expression on her face. It was evident that she was trying not to wake her up and when she could not succeed she gave Zelda the most ridiculous "oops" face ever.

"I'm sorry." Zelda continued laughing. "Don't laugh. I have to change these. You have bled." Zelda stopped laughing but she couldn't erase the smile from her face. She replied mockingly.

"Is that so?" Mary's eyes shined. She poked Zelda lightly. She was smiling as well.

"Yes."

"Did you get worried?" Zelda rested her head on her own arms looking directly at Mary, just enjoying the moment and the intimacy that she hadn't felt for a very very long time.

Mary reached for Zelda's hair and put the strand behind her ear. "Maybe." And then took the rest of Zelda's hair to the side so that it did not touch her back. 

Zelda's smile widened. "Good." She closed her eyes, still smiling. "You may proceed tormenting me now." Mary laughed at it. And turned her concentration to Zelda's wounds. She slowly peeled the gauze bandage, stopping every time Zelda flinched.

"Just take it off, please, it hurts even more when you do it slowly."

"Right." Mary replied and took the bandage off at once which made Zelda burry her head on her arms in pain.

"Are you okay? You shouldn't have interrupted. I was doing it nicely-"

"Stop. I'm fine." Mary looked at her, worried but turned to changing bandages.

Zelda turned to Mary again and studied her expression. She seemed so serious and careful. It made Zelda smile again. She wanted to save this moment, this image forever. Even if she knew it was going to ruin the moment, she couldn't stop herself but said, "You look so beautiful. When you're all concentrated."

Mary looked up from the new bandages she was about to apply and met Zelda's eyes. The sun was shining behind her, giving her an ethereal look. She was mesmerized. She did not dare deny the urge but leaned in for a kiss which was welcomed by the other woman. Mary climbed to the bed and held Zelda's head so that she did not fall on her back. She took a moment to speak. "You have to promise me one thing." Mary said, breathless and kissed her once again before breaking it. "You will not let him do this to you again, I have to hear it." Zelda distanced herself and looked at Mary's eyes. Mary continued before letting her speak meanwhile made sure that the contact is not broken, and Zelda did not have the chance to look away or escape. "You deserve to be loved. You deserve to be touched. Tenderly, lovingly, and frequently. You deserve the world, Zelda." And got closer to her once again but Zelda moved before Mary had the chance to kiss her. Zelda was still looking directly at her eyes. "You don't know me, Mary. _You only heard the half of the story._ " Mary smiled and took Zelda's hair to one side again while Zelda studied her, trying to understand what was going on in her mind. Mary jumped over her slowly and Zelda felt her lips on her back. She started kissing her wounds lightly. " _I don't need your words to know about you_." Zelda had goosebumps all over her body as Mary left unexpected kisses on her skin and applied the new bandages.

Zelda let her whole body sway back on the mattress as Mary made her way up to her again, this time licking her ear. Zelda let out a moan, as if she was holding it in her for so long. Mary whispered, "I don't need stories. I don't need cautions. I don't need anything." Her hands trailed down between the mattress and Zelda's body and found her wetness. She got closer to her ear and whispered once again, "The only thing I need is _you_." Zelda moaned once again as Mary rubbed her clit. Her back arched as she pulled her body up from the mattress, and let her head fall on Mary's shoulder. Her hands found Mary, holding on as she lost the control over her body. "Please. Please." Mary entered a finger as requested, feeling the other woman unravel on her. Her body shook one last time as she had her release. As Zelda collapsed completely on her, Mary felt whole, she felt completed. Mary kissed her head as Zelda tried to catch her breath.

She leaned on the headboard taking Zelda with her. Zelda rested her head on Mary's chest and looked up. She found her childlike expression and it made her smile. Mary then took her fingers to her lips and licked them. The brat-like look on the other woman's face made Zelda laugh and kiss her once again. When they broke the kiss they were both smiling.

"This is the best morning I've had in a very long time." Zelda said.

"The best morning? What about the night? Should I be worried?" Mary said mockingly.

"Well-"

"-Heyy!" Zelda laughed. When she stopped there was a smile left on her face and an expression of gratitude. "Thank you." Mary could see the delicacy and sincerity in her. She looked deep in her eyes. And kissed her on the head again. They enjoyed the comfort of their mutual silence. 

At that moment time seemed to slow down and Lilith could sense the change. Even the room she had spent days and nights seemed different. She wanted it to last forever. But then of course reality crept in and Zelda started fidgeting. "Although, I want to stay here all day, I have to go. They must have gone mad out of worry back at home." 

"Breakfast?" Zelda looked back at her as she pulled the sheets with herself and smiled. "Another time." Mary nodded and smiled back as she jumped out of bed. "Okay so, you can use the bathroom and anything you need really. Make yourself comfortable." Zelda nodded and covered herself with the sheets and stood up as Mary watched the woman in whites walk to the bathroom door. Her ginger hair was all fluffy and messy touching the sheets and her white skin. She swallowed and continued. "-I'll go make coffee because if I keep looking at you, you won't be able to leave." And walked to the door. Zelda smiled and leaned back on the bathroom door she just closed.  _I am breathing._

Mary went to the kitchen to make coffee. She had a huge smile on her face that she could not erase. As she chuckled and at that moment the windows above the sink shut open. There was a storm coming. Lilith felt the strong wind on Mary's mortal flesh. Then she heard the mirror behind her break right after.  _This could only mean one thing. He was a coming._

All the hair on her body went up as a warm breath whispered in her ear leaving her frozen.  _Get rid off her and we shall speak._ She felt his claws dig into her shoulder. She didn't dare speak, she didn't dare make a sound. Trying to cover her fright, she nodded.

He released her hold on her and she knew he was gone but she couldn't move. The windows shut again and made her flinch.

"Mary?" She heard a soft voice right behind her. Zelda touched the same spot the Dark Lord touched a few seconds ago. Lilith flinched through Mary once again. Zelda turned the brunette to herself and what she found scared her. This was the first time she saw Mary like that: she had gone all white, her eyes locked on the same spot on the floor and completely unreadable. Zelda touched her face and tried to understand. "Are you okay? -You're scaring me."

Mary finally looked at her and replied. "Yes. Just fine." Lilith tried to put on a smile. 

"Look, I really have to go. I can sense Hilda going crazy. But- call me, right? Don't make me worry?" Zelda was still studying her, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Yes. Okay." Zelda kissed her. And then walked away from her before turning around once again to check Mary. 

Lilith heard the door shot and closed her eyes, waiting for her Lord. She heard the nail scratching the door frame followed by a pressure on her shoulders that made her fell on her knees. The Dark Lord hadn't moved, hadn't took his eyes away from her one second. Lilith couldn't dare look up.

"Speak!" He growled.

"My Lord." She looked up to meet his eyes. "She is the linchpin. Sabrina's closest. And she was the only person I had no control over. I had to do something."

Her lungs squeezed and when she opened her eyes she found him right in front of her face. "You are playing with fire, my beautiful demoness. Do you really think you can fool me." He let go off her lungs leaving her in tears.

"My Lord, I swear I did it all to make her trust me. If I can keep her out of the way the girl would be left defenseless." She reached for his feet. "She is a weak weak woman and I never cared for her. Blackwood couldn't use that but I can. And I already am doing it. I would never fail you Dark Lord."

"I am very fond of you, Lilith. But don't you ever think you are not disposable." He took a step to let her kiss his foot. Lilith crawled to him, crying, greaful.

"I won't fail you my Lord." She kissed his feet. And he was gone.

 

_Faustus was walking in the corridors of the Academy as he felt another presence seeking access to his brain. It was trying to seep in, forcing and causing incredible amount of pain. He collapsed. His mind went all blank when it was only a voice he could hear._

_You have failed your mission, Faustus. You have caused a shit show so you and I are going to fix this. It is time for a **blood sacrifice**._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so that was that...


	18. The Dawn of Doom

Lilith looked up from the floor, her eyes filled with rage and tears. She snarled.  _This is the last time I will kneel._ She stood up and wiped away her tears, fixed her hair; took deep breaths to steady herself.  _I'm on the edge. I have to be very careful after this point._ Lilith knew she had to give something to the Dark Lord now, to silence him, to make him trust her again. She started pacing the kitchen.  _Calm down and think._   _What would make him believe this is still all about -him?_ She knew the answer but was forcing herself to find another way.

She hated to admit but the young witch had won her affections. She had so much Zelda in her, and -interestingly, so much of herself. The paths she was taking... The things she did in the name of love... Inevitably, Lilith started feeling for the girl. Not to forget, she was the first person to show her some sort of affection, and even admiration after years of humiliation and loneliness.  _I'm sorry Sabrina._

So the plan took its course. The only thing Lilith had to do was a little bit of manipulation and some overwatch. The two weird sisters were simply bonkers without a brain when that other witch bitch was not around. And the result?  _The older Kinkle boy was gone._ It was not hard for Lilith to foresee Sabrina's next four even five steps because all Lilith had to do was to think what her past self would do if something similar had happened to  _him._ Lilith knew.  _Your father was my downfall. The Kinkle boy will be yours._ People had the tendency to relate love to all things positive. It always seemed very interesting and very stupid to Lilith. Something that strong could only be related to darkness.  _To hate._ That is why it always left its place to hate when the curtains before the eyes were open. 

She thought about Zelda after these thoughts passed her brain.  _Remain logical. Hold onto the past or you won't survive this. Remember her father. Remember her mother._ She turned to the girl once again and felt the urge to take her into her arms. But she had already spoken enough, giving hints about her past, about her own "terrible things done in the name of love". Lilith wore her manipulative face once again and asked her if she was sure about walking to the other realm. The realm she knew very well. The realm that Sabrina's aunt tried to take her out. Lilith swallowed. So did  _Mary._   _Harvey would do it for her. Yes, he would, my girl. Maybe yours would._

 _Nothing's going to happen. The Kinkle boy is already dead. And for the boy that Sabrina is so desperately in love with? She is too young. I'm saving her at the moment. There is no chance men can love as much as_ we _do. I'm giving her the chance to be her own person, own her power, be the greatest witch of her generation._

_And I'll be there. She won't be harmed. She won't be harmed Zelda._

The Mother of Demons took the young witch to the threshold in the midst of the woods. The memories were rushing into her brain. She took the red thread out of her pocket.  _This must have been what Hilda and Zelda did before she came in to rescue me._ Lilith pushed away the tears and looked at the young witch. She admired her courage. Her capacity to love.  _They don't deserve it, Sabrina. You will thank me later._ She watched her go into the limbo.

Lilith knew what was going to happen. All she had to do was wait. 

And it happened.

Just like the way it happened to herself.

Lilith watched the boy turn into ashes at the gates.  _So this is what it looked like. Ashes in the wind._

It was done. It was over. The plan was working. Lilith watched the young witch walk away from her to go and talk to Harvey. She ached for her.  _You will thank me later._

She decided to walk home.

 

When she reached the front door, she was exhausted. She took out the key from her pocket and motioned to open the it.

Suddenly she felt something was flying her way. Something heavy. Something-

Mary turned around and stopped the thing in the air. It was a stone. Mary watched it fell on the ground and looked up to the woman that was standing some meters away. Her hand was still in the air after the spell.

"So it's true." Zelda could hardly keep her eyes open. Tears were rushing to her eyes and she was trying so hard not to give in.

"Zelda-" Lilith knew this was coming but she had hoped she would be the one to say this to her. At least this bit of the truth. However, after telling Sabrina the story about being an excommunicated witch it was only naive of her to expect Zelda would not find out.

Mary walked to her only to be stopped by another spell. Zelda started laughing hysterically.

"So I can do all these to you now? And I don't have to worry that I'm exposing myself. The only positive side to this fucked up situation."

Mary took a deep breath, trying to calm herself and Zelda down. "You need to listen to me-"

"I needed to listen to you before  _everything,_ Mary. But I could not because you didn't have the intention to tell me anything. I can't believe my niece knew about it and I did not? What else are you hiding from me?" Mary opened her mouth but no words came out. Zelda's laughs got even more hysterical. She released Mary from the spell. And they stood like that for some seconds without any of them taking a step for each other. Zelda nodded between the laughs. And looked at Mary again, this time with a petty little smile.

"Why didn't you tell me you are a witch? If you knew Sabrina was a witch you could have told me, so why?"

"Zelda there are things you won't understand."

"Don't you dare try deciding on things for me." She walked into Mary's personal space. And continued. "She said she will ask for someone's help to get in the limbo." She swallowed, the threatening tone in her voice left its place to weakness. Her husky voice was breaking. "Did you help her?" She searched Mary's face only to find the tears. Zelda had her answer but she wanted to hear it. Or she did not. Maybe she just wanted to repeat what this woman had really done. This woman that had got in her. This woman she was falling for. "Did you let my niece walk into the realm between the dead and the living? Did you let Sabrina go in there?" She was sobbing uncontrollably now and had the huge desire to hold onto something. She held Mary on her shoulders and just when the brunette thought she was gonna put her arms around her, Zelda took her by the hair and pulled it with everything she had in her.

Mary was in tears as well but not because of the physical pain. She was hurt in heart. Her actions hurt her as well. "I couldn't convince her against it. Someone had to be there, Zelda. Would you prefer her doing it alone?"

Zelda let her go and took a step back. She looked confused. And disgusted. Something turned in Lilith when she saw it in Zelda's eyes. She realized how important it was to see the affection in Zelda's eyes after many years. And now it was all gone.

"Who are you?"

Mary did not take her eyes away from the woman. "Does it matter?"

Zelda took another step back. For a moment, Lilith thought Zelda figured it all out. But then she seemed to push away whatever she was thinking. "Stay away from me. And stay away from my family."

"I can't." 

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I love you, Zelda, so, no, I can't stay away from you or your family."

"Don't get cheap, Mary. It doesn't suit you."

"It is the truth."

"I swear I was going to tell you but after all the hiding, it seemed to me that it was too late. And revealing it would only break our happiness. These past few days have been the best of my whole life. I just wanted it to last a little bit more. Then I was going to tell you about it all." Zelda looked at the woman carefully, searched her eyes for deception but the only thing she could find was sincerity. Part of her was screaming at her, walk away, get away from this woman now, but the other part just wanted to rest in her arms and think about nothing else.

Mary continued "And for Sabrina. I would never let her go in there without supervision. We both know she was going to go in there with me or without me. I just didn't want to leave her alone."

Zelda knew it was true but she still backed away when Mary leaned to hold her. "Satan knows, I want to believe you." She said. Mary could see the fight she was having with herself.

"Just don't distance yourself from me, Zelda. Just don't ask me to stay away because I can't. That is all I ask, please." Zelda let the brunette touch her this time. Mary continued after meeting Zelda's eyes once again. "I love you. I said it, I mean it. I wish I didn't but I do."

"I don't know what to think anymore."

"Then don't. At least for tonight. Stay."

"No-"

"Zelda, please. Can't we just sleep? Please."

"I have to be there for Sabrina. I have to pick up the pieces, don't I? And I need to think about... this."

Zelda walked away before Mary could say anything else.

Lilith couldn't move even after the witch disappeared. She just looked at the nothingness that lied before her.

When Zelda got back home, the whole house was asleep. She walked upstairs, careful not to wake anyone up. She approached to Sabrina's room that she left ajar before she went to see Mary. Her niece was still sleeping. Quietly, she walked in and left a small peck on her head. She whispered an I love you to her ear and left the room.

Meanwhile Lilith was checking on the Spellmans from her mirror. She watched Zelda get in another room. She probably did not want to wake Hilda up and also be closer to Sabrina. The witch took her clothes slowly, breathing deeply, in and out. The effort to keep it together did not go unnoticed by Lilith. She got closer to her mirror as if it could help Zelda.

It only took several seconds more for Zelda to break down completely. She was still trying to stand still, stop the tears. Her hands had started fidgeting. She took a cigarette out from her pocket but she was shaking so badly that she couldn't even lit one.

In that moment Zelda felt a presence behind her. A delicate hand slowly reached for the cigarette she was trying to lit and took it to her own lips. Before Zelda had the chance to speak Mary silenced her.

"Let me pick up the pieces." She handed the cigarette to Zelda whose sobs got even stronger. Lilith held her as if her life depended on it.

 

_He felt it. He felt the warmth Lilith was feeling. And it enraged him. Everything was going as she said. Sabrina was now closer to him. But, he knew, something was off. He turned to the warlock._

_"I put you there to distract that stupid witch. I told you the importance of this. I told you that Lilith could not possibly create any bonds with any member of that family. You knew about their past and you gave that slut a reason to distance herself from you. You are the reason why she got in Lilith's bed. You had one job, Faustus and you failed it."_

_Faustus was shaking on his knees._

_"My Lord, do please forgive me. I can fix this."_

_Faustus looked down once again as the Dark Lord took a step._

_"No you can't. Give in. Let him proceed the mission."_

 

Lilith felt something on her chest. Something heavy. She felf like suffocating. She tried to control her breathing but it did not help.

She sat up and looked at the woman sleeping next to her.

The moonlight had made her pale skin shine even more. The epitome of daylight. The light of her life.

Something was off. Something very bad had happened. Lilith could feel it in her bones. But she now knew. Whatever that was. Whoever that was. It couldn't possibly stay between herself and this woman. She wouldn't allow it.

She lied back next to her and burried her face in Zelda's hair.

_"I won't allow it."_


	19. A Light in the Dark

Zelda woke up to the feeling of warmth. The sun kissed her on face and the woman next to her had pressed herself close as if she was trying to meld into Zelda. Zelda could feel the lips on her shoulder. She closed her eyes and savoured the moment. No words, no arguments; just  _this._   _Skin to skin._   _Heart to heart._

_But no._

Zelda opened her eyes again as her mind started racing. In a weak state she had let Mary in her bed, found solice in her touch once again.

Her explanations were reasonable and sincere. But-

Zelda started fidgeting which led the other woman distance herself from Zelda's shoulder.

"Morning." Mary whispered, unsure of herself. For she knew the intimacy of the previous night wouldn't be enough and Zelda would still be cold to her.

Zelda breathed in and turned to face Mary. _My, she looked gorgeous._ "Morning."

A bit uncomfortable, Mary continued, "How are you feeling?" Zelda sat up on the bed.

"Better, thank you." Mary looked up at the woman who was avoiding eye contact. She sat up as well.

"Zelda-"

 _Better be done with it, Zelda thought._ "-Mary, it is very important for me to trust you, okay?" She finally met her eyes, getting it all off her chest. She knew she wanted to keep this woman by her side. She knew she needed her. And she knew she really cared. But she had to be able trust her. She continued without breaking the eye contact. "You understand me. And you care. And I know that. But I have to trust you. Because without that, all these things mean nothing to me."

This made Lilith swallow. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded. She wanted to tell her everything. But this wasn't the right time.  _You need to wait a bit more. Please, Zelda. Just a bit._

"Can I trust you?"

Mary looked at her eyes once again. Lilith had to fight against every instinct in her. "Yes, you can."  _I can't lose you. I'm sorry._

Zelda studied her and replied after a moment. "Good." 

Mary's eyes had welled up. Zelda saw it and hated herself for a moment for upsetting her. But this conversation had to happen. She couldn't take any more chances on this. She touched Mary's face and put on a smile. Mary closed her eyes as Lilith concentrated on Zelda's warm palm on her cheek and pushed away all the unpleasantness.

The knock on the door interrupted their intimacy.

"Zelda?" It was Hilda. Zelda answered back immediately before her sister opened the door. She had a tendency to knock but not wait for the answer and just get in the room.

"-Wait a second!" She said in hurry. She then took her robe and wore it in hurry. Mary jumped out off the bed to collect her own clothes and dress as well.

The two women looked at one another. The moment reminded Lilith of the past, when the three were young girls and how Hilda wanted to get in Zelda's room and join the gossip. The memory made Mary laugh outloud which was heard by not only one but two Spellman sisters. Zelda panicked and spat a 'Sssh' in Mary's way. But her flushed cheeks and frustrated look made Mary laugh even more that she had to hold her mouth to silence herself.

Meanwhile, Hilda was still at the door, confused by the unfamiliar laughter she just heard. "What's going-" she opened the door "-on?"

Panicked, Zelda turned to Mary but found nothing. She was gone. _Praise Satan, she is a witch._ She murmurred to herself. The irony made her want to laugh and cry at the same time.

Hilda continued. "Why don't you have anything -on? Except that -robe?" Hilda looked at her flushed herself but excited about the possibility to mock her sister for once.

Zelda walked to her sister, trying to push her out of the room. "It was hot. Why do you care? Just leave now." She said, panicked.

Hilda whispered back, enjoying the panicked state of Zelda. Her eyes were glowing. "Zelda! Look at your face. What's going on? Is it the High Priest?"

"Satan! Hilda, no. I told you it was hot. I was going to take a shower. One does not go in shower with clothes as you yourself hopefuly know. Go downstairs, I'll be there in a minute."

Not convinced, Hilda checked the room once more. "Okay, sister, take your time, no rush." She made 'I'll handle it' gesture which made Zelda roll her eyes and shut the door behind her sister.

She sighed in relief as Mary reappeared before her eyes. She was still laughing.

"This not funny at all." She snapped but Mary could not stop, she said an "I'm sorry" between laughs. She cracked up when she realized Zelda was still listening to corridor.

"Ssssh. Quiet!"

Mary pressed her lips together not to make any noise but was still mockingly smiling at Zelda. Zelda shot her a look. "You are no different than them. There used to be 3 of them, and now it's 4." She had said this without being aware of it but it had stopped Mary's laughs and she straightened her posture, her eyes widened with sparkles in them.

Zelda looked up and realized what she had just said when she saw Mary's face. She shrugged after a second. _Why not admit it? She had become a part of her life. She had a place in her heart that was open to few._ "I do care, Mary. I care a lot. But you already know that, I know you do. And you knowing it scares the shit out of me."

Mary closed the distance between them in mere seconds and held Zelda's face gently, to give her a kiss. Zelda felt the bonding and it made her knees buckle. When their lips parted, Mary kept on leaving small pecks on Zelda's face which made the witch close her eyes and smile. "Don't. You have me on my knees, Zelda Spellman. I would do anything to keep you. _Anything. Remember that."_

Mary's face got very serious that it sent chills down Zelda's spine. "Dangerous." She replied half mocking, but actually, serious.

"Not to you, darling but to those that would dare and try getting in between." Mary kissed her on cheek and took her heels in hand. The air had changed, the tension had disguised in something more sexual as Lilith realized she had said too much. "Now go downstairs before Hilda comes back." Zelda kept on watching her. "Go? Zelda?" She posed with her heels this time, smiling wickedly. 

"I can't do it when you're doing that, can I?" Zelda took a step closer.

"Go!"

Teasingly, Zelda asked "Would you burn... cities, maybe?"

"I will burn you if you don't go." Mary pushed her to the door. Enjoying the tease, and unwilling to leave the brunette; Zelda replied.

"Oh, can you please?" Mary kissed her once again and opened the door.

"Another time, darling." She laughed and teased her with a wink before closing the door. Lilith heard her chuckle behind the door and it made her smile. She tidied the room with a snap and disappeared once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I enjoyed writing this way too much hope you enjoy reading it xx


	20. Rise

The days following the night she spent in Zelda's bed were almost...  _heavenly._ Lilith had pushed away all the worst case scenarios aside and was just enjoying the thing they had while it last for, _deep down_ , she very well knew that this was going to come to an end. The heaviness she had on her chest was not going away and she knew she had to tell Zelda who she really was before she found out herself.  _Just a bit more, and I will tell her everything,_ she kept telling herself.

She stood up from her chair and went to Zelda who was reading the newspaper with great interest. Having her in the house made Lilith feel so good and complete. She smiled at the sight and kissed Zelda on the nose.

"See you." She said as she started walking for the door for school. 

"Mary!" She turned to look at Zelda who had, now, looked up at her. "Yes?"

"Meet me at the woods tonight, will you?"

Mary gave her a questioning look. "Feeling witchy?"

"No... I need the serenity. The time always slows down in the woods, I need that. And I want you with me."

"Something wrong? What is it?" Mary put her bag down and walked to the other woman, touched her face gently, trying to red her expression as Zelda shook her head.

"No. No, it's just... I don't know, I have a bad feeling. I feel the need to breath properly. Can we please?"

"Of course." Mary kissed her and the continued. "You know, I love the woods." 

"Do you?" Zelda asked her. Lilith remembered Zelda knew that  _Lilith_ loved the woods, not Mary.

"Yes, I do." Zelda studied her for a moment which tensed every muscle in Mary.

"I'll see you there then." She smiled and turned back to the table.

"Bye." Mary called out as she closed the front door and left for school.

Zelda sipped her tea, and checked the time. She knew she had to go home now but she couldn't bring herself to do so. If only she knew what was bothering her so much. She decided to walk.

 

_**Rise.** _

 

She left Mary's house and walked in the woods. Sabrina had probably left for the school by now. Ambrose could be at the Academy. And Hilda was probably at what she called  _work_. At that moment, Zelda couldn't be sure if she wanted to be alone or needed some company.

 

_**Rise.** _

 

She shivered.  _Something's off._ She was sure of it now. Ration told her to calm down, told her that there was nothing to worry about, but her heart, her instincts. She found herself running home.

When she reached the house she was out of breath. She quickly knocked on the door, impatient, not wanting to wait another second.

"What is going on?" The words burst out of her lips before she even saw the shock, and fright hidden in Hilda's eyes.

Hilda couldn't bring herself to answer back. Zelda walked in pushing her away. Ambrose was standing near the staircase not looking at Zelda.

"Can someone please tell me what is wrong?" She panicked. She swallowed as the thought hit her. "No. No, where is Sabrina?"

Neither Ambrose nor Hilda answered back.

 

_**RISE.** _

 

"AUNTIE!"

Sabrina appeared, her face glowing with joy and excitement. Zelda breathed out with relief. "Praise Satan." She hugged her niece. "I thought-"

"AUNTIE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED!" She realized her niece was in tears. She released herself from Zelda's embrace and ran to the other side of the room to embrace-

 

_**RISE!** _

 

_Him._

 

_The name spilled from her lips. No other words just his name. She felt every nerve in her body pump against her skin._

 

_"Edward."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so.. we'll see what happens. I'm pretty nervous about the rest of the story so comments are all welcomed, open to all criticism, opinions etc
> 
> Thanks for reading it until this point xx


	21. Revelation

Edward kissed Sabrina on head and walked to his sister. Zelda couldn't shake off the shock, her mind had literally halted. Edward took her in his arms and gave her a tight hug. Zelda couldn't hug him in return.

"Hello, sister." he said "I have missed you."

Sabrina held herself watching her father and aunt. Zelda looked at the smile on her face.  _She had never seen her niece this happy._

Her eyes were still on her niece as Edward whispered in her ear.  _"Hug me back if you don't want her to find out."_ Zelda shivered visibly which made Hilda took a reflexive step at them and Ambrose was watching his two aunts, as if waiting for a sign from them.

Zelda hugged him back which made Sabrina jump up and down and run to them to join in.

"My beautiful girl." Edward said as he released an arm to hug Sabrina as well. Zelda finally looked at Hilda which was, of course, caught by Edward.

"Can you give me and your Aunt Zelda a second please dear." He turned to Zelda. "We have so much to talk about." His eyes felt like knives against her skin.

"Of course" Sabrina said and went to Hilda and hugged her. She was so happy that she couldn't possibly stand still.

Zelda saw Ambrose move to catch her eyes. Without breaking the eye contact with Edward, she said "Come this way."

Ambrose and Hilda looked at one another as Zelda and Edward went to the living room.

 

Edward made himself comfortable on the couch. Zelda was still at her feet.

"Why don't you sit down sis?" Zelda didn't move.

"How?"

"You always ask the wrong questions, Zelda. The question here is, did you really think your little game would actually work? Are you that stupid?" His looks had turned. Edward had always been dangerous, but- _this?_ _He had changed. But she wasn't going to give in._

"You haven't been around for 16 years. That is a long time. I'll say it worked. Tell me who got you out?" Edward jumped to his feet to face her. Zelda could feel her spine burn.

"Out?  _That slut burned your brother, you stupid bitch._   _You put me in a fucking trap, and that nutter burned me alive in that fucking tree!" What, Zelda thought._

"What in the name of Satan are you talking about? Who are you talking about?" Edward could see in Zelda's eyes that this was no game. She was sincere. It made him even angrier. He started pacing the room, connecting the dots.

" _Lilith burned me alive. She set the tree on fire. Remember the tree you trapped your own brother, your own blood?"_ Zelda felt like fainting. 

"Is she- Is she alive?" Zelda couldn't believe her ears. She held the nearest sofa to stay still.  _It's impossible,_ she thought. _How can she be alive?_

Edward had locked his eyes on her, amazed by her answer. "This is the question you're asking? Seriously- Yes she is alive you idiot! You are so blind that you don't even see what's in your face! Or should I say,  _in your bed?!" Zelda felt nauseous and sat down._ Her whole body felt like burning.  _How could- how could she do that?_

Furious, Edward continued. "Sit down now, yes. Your vanity makes you blind Zelda? Did you really believe that she loves you? She doesn't love you. She never did! That little sick fuck has always been in love with me! She is obsessed and she is here for revenge! And you served me on a golden plate, all she had to do was striking the match! And then she stalked my baby girl! MY GIRL, ZELDA!" Zelda looked up for the first time.

"Sabrina?"

"Yes! She stalked your niece and did everything she could to get her in the path! She could have died, Zelda! And Lilith wouldn't even care!  _She is a servant! She was following the fucking orders!"_ Zelda took her head in her hands, clenching her fingers in her scalp. How could she be so stupid? How could she not see it!? Edward continued once again.

"By putting me in there you destroyed the only person that could really protect Sabrina!"

"Shut up." Zelda whispered.

"What? WHAT?" Edward walked at her, bent over so that they could be face to face. Just as he was going to speak she spoke.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP! YOU WERE USING HER! YOU WERE USING HER TO GET A PLACE NEXT TO THE DARK LORD! OR MAYBE HIS PLACE! YOU HAD TO STAY AWAY FROM HER!" Edward stood up, with a smile so dirty that it made Zelda want to throw up.

"See where it got you. Lilith won. You lost." He kneeled and held her face with one hand, held it tight that Zelda couldn't even speak.

"But I am back, sister." he spat "The dad is back. And you are going to do as I say or Sabrina will find about all these. _It is time to pay the price_." Edward released her.

After a moment of silence, Zelda wiped away her tears and tried to look strong. Edward had gone to the fireplace, watching the flames.

Zelda looked at him. "Have you talked to Hilda?"

"She is ready to do as she is told." He answered, without turning to Zelda.

"What do you want?" asked Zelda, doing her best to not breakdown.

"The Dark Lord brought me back-" 

"And who is the other warlock at the other end of this deal? Who died for you?" Zelda cut him off, with a tone that revealed no emotions.

"Faustus."

Zelda nodded. "Of course."  _Of course Faustus was going to be the one to sacrifice himself._ Zelda couldn't help but feel sad for him. He had always been like that. He never knew what he was figting for, just obeyed the orders and thought of himself as a man of great importance. Zelda wanted to laugh.  _A man of great importance indeed. Another martyr for a fight who knows for what._

"I want my revenge. I want her dead." Edward had turned to her "Sabrina has to be the one that kills her-"

Zelda replied immediately "-No-" Her eyes were burning.

"-After everything I told y-" The whole thing and the idiocy had started enraging the warlock. He was running out his patience.

"Sabrina is not doing it. I will." Edward was shocked by the answer but he tried to hide it. He knew how much she loved Lilith and how strongly she felt about the woman she posessed. Yet she sounded so decisive. Silence fell between the brother and sister who were, once, very close.

Edward's hand found his forehead."The Dark Lord wants her to do it." Edward's following words reminded her once again why she and Hilda had trapped her in that tree in the first place. He was selfish. He was still selfish. He and Lilith. They were all the same. No wonder they were together once.

She tried to push away the thought. Not now, she told herself. Edward continued "He brought me back and I can't go back there." He looked at her sister, his eyes asking her to understand but Zelda knew how good he was at manipulation. And she could sense how good he got in it after all those years of suffering. She stood up and spoke with everything she had in her.

"She won't be a part of your stupid game. This is exactly why i put you in that tree. This is your girl we are talking about, she is not a pawn in your silly little game. Li-" She couldn't find it in herself to say her name. "She will pay. I will make sure of it. But no one, _no one, including the Dark Lord himself_ can make my niece a murderer. She is not ready for such things. _And this is not her fight."_

Edward opened his mouth but Zelda was already at the door to leave.  _He knew he had to make a plan._

 

Ambrose walked to Zelda as she opened the door.

"Aunt Zee?"

"Take care of them, Ambrose and keep an eye on him. _Remember why your Aunt Hilda and I did what we did._ Do not listen to him. And- Take care of them. Just take care of Sabrina and Hilda." She hugged her nephew.

"Wha-"

"I love you and I am so very proud of you." She kissed him on the cheek and walked to the front door. 

"Do not keep me in the dark, Aunt. Tell me what is going on?!" Zelda turned to him with a smile that broke Ambrose's heart.

"You can't help me Ambrose. This is my fight. _I have to pay_." She closed the door behind her and walked in the woods. 

 

 _"You know what you have to do."_   He spoke.

_"Do not worry, my Lord. All I have to do is strike the match. My dear sister will get her ready and my beloved daughter will be there to finish the task. Everything is going as it is planned."_

_"Do not let Lilith run away. Sabrina must be the one to finish her. Killing Lilith will get her closer to me, to the path. Another lost bond and her blood in her hands. I trust you."_

_"She won't run. She is in love with Zelda. I know Lilith. She would beg to die instead of losing the affection of the one she loves."_

_"Good"_

_Edward felt The Dark Lord get out of his brain. He sighed in relief and fixed himself to get in the other room to tell Sabrina what had happened to him. And who was responsible._

_It was hightime for her to hear_ _**his story.** _

_There was going to be some changes, of course._

_"Lilith trapped me in a tree and watched me burn. She was jealous of your mother, you see." He fixed his tie as he kept on rehearsing his lines. "Did I say Lilith? Ah, you know her by a different name. Mary Wardwell."_

_He opened the door and called out for Sabrina._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we are now closer to the end game i hope you're liking this and will like the rest i'll post this now and check your comments xx


	22. No Light

The air was dark and heavy. The world had seemed to narrow down in the past hour. She felt squeezed, she felt trapped. In a way she really was. Winds were blowing and Zelda could feel the eyes of the nocturnal animals on her. Her eyes watered as she took another turn to meet-

She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and raised her head. She had thought this story was over many years ago, and the book was sealed with blood, never to be open again. But Lilith could not rest in peace, could she?

She felt the hatred rise in her stomach. It felt like sick. She had played with her. She had played with her all this time. 

In the past, when Lilith and Edward were together, when Zelda knew she did not love her back; she at least knew she cared. She wasn't in love with her but Zelda knew she cared for her, and loved her in her way.

 _This. This?_ This meant she did not. This meant everything was a huge lie.

Edward was right. She had always been an obsessed bitch and she still was. Zelda wanted to scream. She felt the urge to punish herself. Her skin burned, begging to be hurt in the harshest way. She felt the long gone wounds re-appear, asking to be re-opened.  _How can you be so stupid? How could you not see it?_

She crawled her fingers into a fist, clenching on the soft skin of her palm. She felt her nails dig in. She took a deep breath and begged her skin to calm down a bit. She hadn't harmed herself since that night she went Mary's home after the incident with Faustus. She had let Mary heal her with her gentle touches and kisses. Now every spot that she touched was burning. It was worse than the cuts. 

Zelda decided to cut every spot she kissed, every spot she touched. But first-

Zelda stopped when she saw the woman kneel down before an animal. She couldn't understand what it was as it was very dark and she could only see the other woman's back. She took the little thing in her arms, stroke it and giggled. The sight made Zelda want to crumble.

"Go now." She whispered as she let the squirrel go. And giggled once again when it stopped and did not move. "Go, hide, you shouldn't be on the ground at nights. Go." She turned around with a smile on her face that was so beautiful. Zelda hated her guts.  _She is still playing._

"Zelda" she said and walked to her. She had made campfire and there was a basket on the ground. As she got closer her face met the light of the flames. In that moment, Zelda couldn't help but think of her burning in the pits of hell.  _How the hell did you survive?_   _What the hell did you do to the woman whose skin you are wearing?_ The thought made her sick once again. She had killed the real Mary and had been wearing her skin for all this time.

She had let her in her bed without really asking anything about her past.  _Stupid stupid stupid._

The woman touched her face and separated her from her inner world. Zelda closed her eyes begging the tears to be shut there, and slowly separated herself from Mary's warm touch. She wanted to scream but the only thing she could do was to whisper.

"Who is it touching me now? The husk or you, Lilith?" It had taken everything in her to make herself sound indifferent but when she opened her eyes the truth was there.

Lilith was taken aback. Her eyes watered and Zelda could swear she could see _her_ in there. She realized she knew it all along. Deep down, she knew who this woman really was. Because she had looked into those eyes for many many years and no other eyes had made her feel this way. One could change everything but never the eyes. They could change form but the way they looked could never really change.

The words felt like knots in her throat. Lilith could only whisper back "How did you find out?"

The desperation, the tiredness and disappointment in Zelda's eyes killed Lilith. She hated herself for putting her through this. She should have told her. She should have told her before she found out.

"Does it matter?" Lilith looked down, couldn't keep on looking in Zelda's eyes.

"I opened myself to you for the second time and you walked over me again. This is beyond you."

"Zelda-"

"You know, I have always thought you loved me. I knew you did not love me the way I loved you but I was so sure you cared. I never doubted it. I'm so stupid."

"You are not-"

"This is all a game for you, isn't it? You watched me suffer over your death for years. I even cried for nights hanging onto this- this form of yours. You never said a word. You watched me cry over something that wasn't even real." Saying all these outloud enraged her even more. The first shock was gone and realizations were raining down on her.

"You risked my niece's life for Satan knows how many times?" she started laughing hysterically. "Just because you wanted- what? Revenge? Sabrina did nothing to you. She has nothing to do with any of this but no- they share the blood. I share the blood with him too, why didn't you just kill me?-

"I would never hurt you-" It was almost impossible to hear Lilith, it was as if she had lost her voice. _I should have told her._

Zelda continued. "-But no- you had other plans for me, right? Fucking me and laughing about it afterwards perhaps?-"

"Zelda! Never!" Lilith finally protested walking to Zelda, raising her voice a bit.  _How can she think that? How could I ever hurt her?_

"You looked me in the eye and said that you loved me. You told me that I could trust you. I have to give it up to you, you were so good at it." Zelda wanted to strangle her. She wanted to watch her choke to death. She took a step at her which suprised Lilith. Zelda's eyes were burning and it was the first time she looked at her that way.

"Guess what _baby_? _Ga_ _me over_. This ends here and now." She snarled at her.

"I would never hurt you. Or Sabrina. I would never do that, Zelda." She protested once again. " _This_ is true. What we have is true. I never lied to you about my feelings, I swear."

It was sickening how she still continued playing. She thought she knew everything about Lilith once, but this corrupt creature was a complete stranger to her. She couldn't bare listening her lies anymore and took out the knife she had in her pocket and pinned her to the closest tree. "I don't think you understand,  _darling. This is the end._ " She could feel her eyes betraying her words. She hated herself. She hated the influence Lilith still had on her.

Mary's eyes darkened.  _It now looked so much like Lilith's own eyes._ Zelda remembered the day at the zoo when they locked eyes for one last time. It was something that she had burried deep down in her memory but it had come out again in that very moment.

She couldn't let herself touch the skin of her neck with the knife she had in hand. Lilith knew this look quite well.  _It was doubt._

 _"Look at me, Zelda. No one knows me better than you. Look right through me once more and kill me right here if you think I am lying."_ Zelda opened her mouth to protest but Lilith spoke first.

 _"I love you."_ She stopped for a second and let Zelda study her.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was so hard to write this one, I'm still not sure about so many parts of it but I'll post it anyways. I have some plans about the show down and in order to do them properly I have to split all these into some chapters so it is gonna take more than we all think, I guess. Please tell me what you think. Lots of love


	23. No Light Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is the second part of this... tangle... It took me a bit long to come to this point so I think I should remind you the timeline.
> 
> The first and the third chapter were the current events and everything in between happened before them.
> 
> So here, we have finally reached the timeline of the current so you are gonna find those two chapters below.
> 
> God I hope it worked............

_There was a thin line between life and death. Both the mortals and the children of magic thought so. A thin and a sharp line.What were they thinking when they came up with this metaphor? That it was easy to cross the realms? Putting an end to your life was nothing like putting a dot at the end of a sentence. Both the witches and the mortals were too naive to be thinking so…_

_She was naive too. Once. So, no, she didn’t think so. She didn’t need to think. You don’t need to brainstorm about something that you already know. And she knew: the line was not thin. It wasn’t that easy to cross. It took time. It took painfully long._

_And what followed was an endless loop of flames._

_There were other thin and sharp things though. They were no metaphors. The thing that was touching the skin of her throat at that moment could as well make a good example._

_Its cold touch made her shiver. She forgot about her surroundings for a moment. One feeling surpassed everything… That one feeling she hadn’t felt for a long time..._

_Was it fear?_

_No, it wasn't it was-_

 

_Nothing._

_Emptiness._ _She felt empty._

_Not scared. Not anything._

_She had professed her love to the woman who owned her heart and she hadn't believed her._

_She realized she not only had her hands full but also her heart from the moment she saw Zelda reclining against the wall next to her class. Since that moment her heart had been preoccupied._

_She had filled the emptiness in her soul._

_But now it was back._

_She had lost the affections of the woman she loved. She had lost her trust. She had failed her once again._

_She felt purposeless._

_What was the point?_

_What was the point of all these?_

_She closed her eyes and whispered._

_"End it."_

_Time slowed down as she felt the warm breath against her cheek. She realized she was dead cold when she felt the heat the other woman was vibrating. Funny, she thought. My about-to-be killer burning, and me, about-to-be the murdered witch, all cold. This is not a very witchy death, I guess._

_How very considerate of her to end this without flames, Lilith thought. After all, she knows me._   _She_ _fucking knew me._

_But not anymore._

_She had become so corrupt that even Zelda could not read what was in her heart._

_She wanted to laugh. She wanted to laugh at her luck. She had put him to grave and he was still destroying her life._

_And wasn't that just... hilarious?_

_She had killed Edward._

_She had watched him burn._

_She thought they were even._

_But he had taken something with him._

_Something that couldn't be replaced. Something that couldn't be put back where it was._

_Herself._

_Her soul._

_'What is done cannot be undone.'_

_Everything had changed including herself._

_Zelda was right._

_How could she know this person standing before her when Lilith herself didn't know who she was anymore._

 

She was breathing heavily. Her eyes shut. Not looking at Lilith, forcing every fiber of her being to bring herself to kill the woman she loved and the woman she had come to love.

"How could you?" Lilith thought it was Zelda speaking but this was a different voice. She opened her eyes and looked at the source. It was Sabrina.

"Get away from her, Zelda. She is mine."

"Sabrina, what are you doing here?" Zelda released Lilith turning to her niece. Sabrina had never seen her aunt like that. Her Aunt, so strong, the woman she looked up to when growing up... She seemed so small and tired. 

She saw the sorrow.

And she saw the fright.

But she couldn't be distracted. She was there for her father's revenge.  _For her own revenge._ She felt an anger she never felt before. It was so heavy that she thought it could crush her.

She looked at the woman responsible for it. Lilith hadn't taken her eyes away since the moment she heard Sabrina's voice. She hadn't answered her, she was just looking. Even her expression hadn't changed. It enraged Sabrina even more. "How could you?!" She ran at her only to be held by her aunt. Zelda was telling her something but Sabrina couldn't hear anything. She was fixed to the woman she knew as Mary Wardwell. She hadn't even flinched.  _She doesn't even ask. She doesn't even protest._

Sabrina finally looked at her aunt after she shook her and raised her voice. The tone wasn't new to her but Sabrina could sense something different in it. She did not know what it was but she surely did not like it. It carried something from the past. Something from the past that the younger ones never wanted to find out. At that moment, she realized that one could never fully know the people that raised her. 

"She killed my dad! SHE KILLED MY DAD, ZELDA!" Zelda halted at the outburst.  _So he told her._

_"Calm. Down."_ she said. She was so fed up with all these. She was so fed up with the selfishness.  _Everything was not about them. Everything was not about Lilith. It was not about Edward. And it surely was not about Sabrina. She was sick of it. She was sick of being in between, being crushed in between._ "Stay out of this!"

She answered in an intant, almost as a reflex. "She didn't only take away my dad's life, she took mine too, Zelda, so _you_ , stay out of this!" It was the first time she had raised her voice to her aunt that way and sounded... dangerous. Zelda felt the darkness in her niece. She felt the potential. And it scared her. 

Zelda didn't realize Sabrina had passed her. As she turned around she saw Lilith hit the tree and fall onto the ground. "Sabrina!" she exclaimed without being aware of it. Sabrina didn't seem to care.

Lilith did not look up at her.

"Look at me!" she yelled. Lilith looked up with an annoyed look on her face. She seemed indifferent... _bored_ even... 

"Are you going to keep on shouting and pulling little tricks or are you actually going to do _something_?" she dared her.  _What the fuck are you doing? Zelda thought._  She watched her niece stiffen. In an instant, Mary's fragile body cramped up as blood rushed to her face. She was suffocating. "Sabrina stop!" Zelda yelled. Sabrina did not listen. Instead, she kneeled before Lilith and watched her suffocate. Lilith's vision blurred. The only thing she could feel was the pressure. The pressure that crawled to the center of her brain. She looked at Sabrina once again before she blacked out.

She muttered something Zelda could not really hear.

But Sabrina had heard it.

And she knew in her bones that these were no idle words.

_"Your magic is viscous. It is rotten. Just like mine. Just like your father's. No salvation for you Sabrina. You are born dark. You can't escape your own blood."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah. So. Yeah. I dont even know what to say. I hope it doesnt sound so fucked and meaningless or something... okay
> 
> And I was this close to call the chapter no light in your dark blue eyes but i did not do that cause i love you florence


	24. No Light Part 3

Sabrina flinched when she felt the hand on her shoulder.

 _Good girl,_ her father said.

Lilith wasn't moving.

Sabrina backed away.

She felt so cold.  _What have I done?_ She turned to her aunt.

Zelda's eyes were fixed on the woman that was lying on the ground. She was in shock.

Sabrina turned to her dad once again. Everything had happened so fast. She felt out of place.

All Spellmans were now in the midst of the woods as Hilda and Ambrose entered the scene as well. This felt like a reunion that no one was looking forward to. The past and the present had finally caught up and they all knew there was no place to hide anymore.

Hilda ran to her sister ignoring everyone else. She held her, kept her up on her feet. Zelda did not respond nor did she moved away from her sister's touch. Half an hour ago she was ready to kill the woman that was motionless on the ground. And now- Hilda felt her sister get heavier on her arms. "Zelda, stay with me" she whispered, and begged Satan that they all would come out of this in one piece.

Edward walked past Sabrina and kneeled to check Lilith. He smiled to himself, his back turned to his family. He touched Lilith on the chin and turned her head to himself. He rolled his eyes and let her head fall, then checked for pulse.

Sabrina watched her father stand up and take a step back. She couldn't see his face but she could feel how annoyed he was. He put his hands on his hips and looked the other way.

_And she moved._

_She moved. Zelda sighed with relief. Praise Satan._ She took a step forward only to be stopped by Hilda. Their eyes met and, for once, Zelda obeyed her sister. 

"I would prefer seeing you dead." Edward said.

Lilith felt the heat crawl down her head.

_It is impossible._

_I watched you die._

_I watched you burn._

Edward shot a look at his daughter. Sabrina could feel the anger in it. _He was angry that she could not finish her_. She took a step back, closer to her aunts and Ambrose. Ambrose reached for her hand immediately.

Lilith tried to stand but failed miserably. Spellmans watched her pathetic attempts only to be stopped by a kick in her stomach. She writhed on the ground. Zelda closed her eyes and let the tears run down her face. She wanted to spare her. She wanted to save her. But after all she had done- Hilda had turned her head away as well, holding her sister tighter than before.

Edward sniffed and continued. "But this is good as well." He kicked her once again, this time even harder than before. Lilith cried out. Ambrose turned to check Sabrina. She was forcing herself not to look away. Her eyes had watered. Ambrose pulled her back a bit. "No!" Sabrina said without looking at him.  _No matter what her father was going to do to her, she deserved it. She had to pay for stealing his dad from her. She had to pay for all those years._ Mercy and malice fought within her. She kept remembering her father's words. But also  _her words._   _This is different. This is not about being evil. This is about justice._ She repeated to herself, trying to believe in it.

Edward kneeled down before Lilith and whispered in a tone that can only be heard by her. "I have missed hearing _that_. Did you miss me too, _Lily_? It has been so long. I loved the new body by the way. I wish I had the time to-  _try it._ " He moved her hair to reveal her neck. He slowly touched her. The touch that was once enough to take her to other realms now made Lilith's skin crawl. He glanced at her from head to toe and continued. "But my sister tried for me, I guess." He smirked in the most disgusting way. Lilith fixed her blue orbs at him.

"Exactly. _Praise Satan, I finally got to taste the superior Spellman._ " She dared him. She knew her advantage over him. _She knew him to the bone_. And she knew this was going to enrage him-

"That wasn't what you used to say when you were crying out my name." _-But he was going to cover it up, of course._

Lilith took her time before she muttered the last words that were definitely going to push Edward over the edge. _This was finally going to be over. Without anyone getting hurt other than herself. She owed that to Zelda._ "My green days. _Before I know what it was like with Zelda_." He stood up and kicked her in face.

She fell on her back holding her nose before he hit her once more.

 

_How long are you going to let him get on with it?_

_Everything seemed to have slowed down. Winds were blowing slower, leaves were moving lighter. Noises were gone. She and- the voice seemed to be alone in the woods. She couldn't move, she couldn't turn her head to the voice. But she knew who it was._

_She did not answer._

_Did you really think I would let them kill you?_

_She stood still and made no noise. She was confused. She let her Lord go on._

_My mistress, remember who you are. And remember who he is._

_Lilith finally replied, What if I just want this to end now? What if I am sick of all these?_

_You can do that, of course. But that wouldn't be good for your Zelda._

_Lilith swallowed._

_Let me be more clear. If you do as you say, he will move to his second task, which is something you won't like. You wouldn't like it if your Zelda died in the hands of her own brother, would you?_

_No. No no no. Even he won't go that far, she replied._

_Of course he will. He will kill her and even feast on her body if I ask him. I promised him a throne. You know him better than anyone and you know he will do it._

_Why would you do that? What is your profit?_

_Because him killing Zelda will be his end as well. He will kill Zelda and Sabrina will kill him. The scene is all set, he laughed._

_The plan has always been her killing Edward, my beloved. You cannot get any darker than that, can you?_

_How could I miss this, Lilith thought. Why else would he bring Edward back?_

_I am waiting, The Dark Lord said._

_Lilith stopped for a second, tried to find a way around it._

 

_She couldn't risk Zelda's life._

_It was out of question._

 

_What is the plan?_

_Smart girl. Nothing hard. Just tell the truth. And do not die. The rest will come. And- of course, do not let anyone else kill Edward. It must be Sabrina. Or-_

_Consider it done, my Lord._

_Good. Now, show that bastard what happens when he messes with The Mother of Demons._

 

"You can't keep blacking out, Lily. This is no fun." She opened her eyes. The world was all blurry. She just wanted to lie there, she wanted all this charade to end. _But she was given a task._ Lilith tried to sit up. She had to check Zelda first.

The first person she saw after Edward was Sabrina. The young witch was standing right behind his father, her hands in the air. A mortal would describe this action as pushing something but-

Lilith turned to where her hands were pointing at and saw the other Spellmans.  _Praise Satan._ They were all good. But- something was off. The way they stood- _something was wrong._

Then she sensed it. She sensed the shield that seperated the three from them.

As her vision came back to her she realized Zelda's eyes were fixed in hers. The witch sighed with relief. Lilith could sense Zelda's whole body calm down, her eyes asked her  _What have you done?_  

All the Spellmans except Edward watched them, all saw what Zelda meant by that look but none, including Zelda, understood what lied in Lilith's. She was unreadable.

Then a spark passed her eyes: a spark that could only be captured by Zelda. She mouthed a no but it was too late.

Edward hit the tree in the far corner, away from Sabrina and the branches pulled him into an embrace. "Ah, you are right. Sorry. Now, how is this? Was this what you wanted? I'm here to please."

She felt the energy thrown at her way. _Intense._ She fended it off with the back of her hand and turned to face the young witch who was trying to stay strong, and show no fright. "Never let them see the fear. _Good Sabrina_." She walked closer as Sabrina tried something else only to be fended off by Lilith once again. "I can keep doing this till eternity, darling." Sabrina had started to breath heavily, taking steps back.

"Sabrina!" Edward yelled, his eyes fiery with ambition. "What? Are you asking your little girl's help now, Edward? said Lilith without taking her eyes away from Sabrina. She snapped her fingers and put her in handcuffs in instant. "I want you to listen to me Sabrina. I need you to listen to me. Those handcuffs are there so that you cannot attempt any petty spells." She turned to Zelda who was screaming behind the filter.  _I can't be distracted._

"There is nothing to listen.  _You killed my father!_ "

"You don't know half the story, do you? What lies did he tell you? Did he mention the part where he begged me for forgiveness millions of times after he cheated on me, he beat the shit out of me, he said that he loved me, swore by it, asked me to marry him and then went off to get married to y _our mother_? I _died_ because of your father, Sabrina. I walked the hell for him. Can you imagine that? No one- _no one_ can tell me he didn't have it coming, that he didn't deserve what I did to him. But I am sorry for you- I am _so so sorry_ that I am the reason why you grew up without a father."

"I loved Diana, Lilith! I am not the reason why you killed yourself, it was your own madness, your own drama!" he yelled.

Lilith turned to look at him. "You _loved_ her? _You can't love anyone!_ Stop playing now, you are _empty_ , Edward. You had always been empty. You are just ambition, nothing else!"

Silence fell until Edward smirked." _How can you know that?" Beat. "I never loved you._ "

Lilith hated to admit it, she hated it but her heart ached at the remark. It still hurt. "Yes. I guess I know that now." She gave him a bitter smile. She felt Sabrina's eyes on her back.  _I'm sorry Sabrina, but I have to do it._

"But maybe I should think myself lucky." She continued. " _Considering what you did to dear old Diana_."

Time stopped.

Time came to a halt. Lilith kept looking in Edward who was frozen. 

_This was the ultimate revenge for what he did. This should have made her feel good. But Sabrina's eyes were burning her back. She could feel her getting tense._

Lilith snapped her fingers once again and removed the filter. The three Spellmans did not even move after what they had heard.

Lilith continued "Tell them, tell your daughter, what you did right before you appeared on her doorstep."

"Stop ly-"

"You stop lying, Edward! You owe it to her. She was her mother!"

He turned to Sabrina's way, protesting with all he had, yelling his lungs out. "I did nothing, Sabrina! Don't believe a word she says!"

Lilith turned to Sabrina. " _He killed your mother, Sabrina._ Ah, by the way she was alive. She was alive all this time. Your dear father who claims to have loved her put her in an asylum, left her to rot. And when the time came for him to come back, the first thing he did was ending his unfinished business."

"I did no such thing Sabrina! You can't trust this witch, can you!? She is mad! She is lost in her jealousy, she is trying to trick you!"

"It is the truth, Sabrina. Believe it or not, that is up to you."

Sabrina stopped and looked in the eyes of her teacher and then looked at her father.

"I don't believe you." Sabrina said. "You have been lying from the moment we met and now- you are blaming my father- like this! He would never do such thing! _He loved her!"_

 

_"Did you really kill her?"_

Her words blew over them, strong and sharp, just like a cutting wind. The question was there, and it couldn't be taken back.

"-Auntie, what are you asking?-"

"Answer me, Edward! Did you do it?!" Zelda's voice echoed through the woods.

There was an understanding between the two. Zelda turned around, not able to face him anymore. She felt sick.

"Zelda-" Hilda leaned to touch her. Their eyes had watered. 

"What the fuck is going on!?" Sabrina yelled. She was sick of being left out. She was sick of the adults playing their little games. She was sick of being in between and being the victim.

For the first time during the whole night, Lilith was in the dark as well. But the way Zelda was acting-

She watched all her movements and when their eyes finally met- she saw it.

_"Did you know it? Did you know she was alive?"_

Zelda did not answer her but turned to her niece. 


	25. No Light Part 4

She felt nauseous. "Aunt?". Tears rushed to her eyes, blurring her sight.

Zelda couldn't answer her. She felt as if time had come to a halt. She went all blank, not able to form an answer or look away from her niece.

Sabrina turned to Hilda. "Did you know it too?". Hilda only swallowed. "Answer me!"

Sabrina's voice echoed through the woods.

Hilda nodded. Sabrina backed away in shock, and disappointment she had never felt before. Her Aunts. Her Aunts she trusted more than anyone in the world. Her Aunts who raised her. They  _lied_ about her mother.  _For years. For years they let her believe that she was dead when- she was out there -alive._

"Sabrina." Zelda finally managed to get in between. Her voice had failed her. Anyone could sense that she was about to break.

"Don't!"

The knot in Zelda's throat was making it impossible to speak, Lilith wanted to walk to her and take her out of this situation but she couldn't move. She still couldn't believe she actually knew about Diana's existence. 

How could she not know about it? Why didn't The Dark Lord tell him this part? Zelda's voice brought her back to the current.

"She wasn't well. She had gone insane. I just wanted to protect you. _We thought it was the best for you._ "

Sabrina walked at Zelda with a pace and attitude that was very uncommon. The energy she was spreading alerted Lilith. She walked right behind her without really being aware of it. 

The rage. She was familiar with the rage. But -coming from Sabrina. 

_She is strong._

The emotional state Zelda was in made her blind to this change in her niece. She just wanted to take everything back, just wanted to go back in time. She wanted this fixed.

" _You thought it was the best -for me?_ No one but me can know the best for me Zelda!  _If I knew it she could still be alive!_ " Zelda bursted into tears at the last remark.  _For the first time in her life, she knew she was wrong and someone else was right. Not only Zelda but all of them knew it was true. Edward could never dare do it if Sabrina knew about her mother._

_Sabrina gave a spiteful look to both Hilda and Zelda and walked to her father who was still under the spell. He looked so pathetic and scared. Sabrina felt the disgust in her._

_In that moment she realized this man was a total stranger._

_He was no one._

_And he couldn't be trusted._

"Who are you?" She asked as she came closer. Unlike what her face suggested she sounded so calm. _Much like a psychopath_. Lilith knew that voice. So did Edward.

Even if he knew he couldn't turn this his way he still tried to protest. He begged her daughter. To this young witch. _To his legacy_. "Sabrina, these are all lies. They are trying to manipulate you. They want me back in that tree so-"

"I asked you a question. Who are you?" 

Edward stopped begging. He was confused. He couldn't see a way other than simply answering her question.

"I am your father." He stated. "Your father. And I would never do such thing to Diana. Never."

The woods went all silent. It seemed like even the nocturnal animals had stopped and were all in ears.

Sabrina studied him.

Everyone stopped breathing. They were trying to foresee where this was going. But they had no idea. 

Sabrina said something under her breath which was only heard by Lilith.

" _Liar_."

Her fingers crawled in a fist and in that moment Lilith knew all her assumptions were true. _She was the one. The one with the will, and the magic._

Sabrina threw a spell at Edward's way.

_But she still had so much to learn. She was going to surpass her some day. But not today._

Lilith stopped her with another wave of hand.

"No."

Sabrina had got blinded by the anger. She threw another one at Lilith. She fended it off once again. "You are strong. But not that strong."

"After all that?" Sabrina questioned. "After everything he did to you. After everything you claimed he did to you."

"This has nothing to do with him anymore. I'm doing this _for you_." 

"The only way to help me is getting out of my way."

"No it is not." Lilith protested. _She had_ _finally found the way. It was hidden in the line her Lord uttered to her._ "Killing your own father? _No one should get that dark, Sabrina._ " Lilith knew the consequences of what she had just said and she was ready for it all.  _No time to be a coward,_ she thought.

And-

The winds blew over them. Thunders were heard. The sky was ablaze.

Lilith looked at Edward. The man she once loved. And she once hated. She realized she didn't hate him anymore. She was sad for him. She was so very sad. It seemed to her Edward felt the same thing.

Once the couple everyone admired and once the couple everyone took pity, the two were finally sharing something again. The understanding and knowledge of what was coming.

Lilith walked to Zelda. One could say she nearly ran. She took her face in her hands and gave her a lingering kiss without minding the gazes of others, without minding Zelda's hatred. She wasn't going to die without feeling her lips on hers again.

When they parted there was no hatred on her face but confusion. And more than that she was scared. She knew the winds and the thunders were no good signs and Lilith-

She didn't know what was going to happen but she knew it wasn't going to be pleasant. And deep down-

Lilith looked at her with those eyes. Zelda saw all shades of blue in them.

" _If we could meld souls_." Lilith said, with a tone only they could hear. Almost a whisper. But Zelda felt it in her whole being. Lilith's eyes studied every muscle on Zelda's face. It was as if she was trying to memorize it.

"Don't you dare." said Zelda, sensing where this might be going.

Lilith gave her a little smile. She hoped to erase the fright and doubt on her lover's face by doing it. _As if it would work_. "It is show time."

"Lilith, I said no." Zelda protested. Now holding Lilith by arms.  _Whatever it was. It can't end like this._  

"I like it when you call my name." Lilith traced her jawline, smiling. "I have missed it."

"Don't you dare leave me alone in this world once again. You owe me that." Zelda held her even tighter, trying to meet her eyes, trying to convince her, _to keep her._

_Not again, she thought. I can't handle this again. It will end me._

_No matter what she did to her. No matter how much she made her suffer. She couldn't have it end like this. She couldn't bare losing her again._

Lilith looked at Zelda's eyes once again. _"_ _I love you_."

_Zelda knew she did._

She kissed her on her tears and backed away without letting Zelda speak again.

She fixed her tone.

"Take Sabrina and leave. She shouldn't be here when he arrives. And you too." And then turned to Ambrose and ordered "Ambrose, take them and go!"

With a snap of fingers they were all gone.

Lilith turned to Edward who looked terrified. _His face. Their faith._ It made her laugh. Of course, it was going to end this way. The two of them, together, walking to their end. This was where they had always been going.

She fixed her coat and her hair.

Head high. Posture straight. _Bring it._

_Lilith always knew how to make an entrance. But she was even better at finales._

_She turned to her Lord as he made his entrance._

_He growled. He growled in a way that shook the earth, evoked the fires of hell._

_Lilith looked him in the eye. No more kneeling. Let's see what you are made of._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long break but hope you like this and it is worth the wait???  
> I bloody loved writing the last interaction between Zelda and Lilith. The line "If we could meld souls" means A LOT to me so the whole thing basically evolved around it - you know, just cause i wanted to use that line.


	26. Mother

At the woods in the midst of a town called Greendale.  _Who would have thought?_

Lilith's vision had seemed to narrow down. She felt like it was just her and him now.

All the nocturnals seemed to have gone off the stage and took their places to watch. And Edward wished he was back in that damned tree where her sisters had caged him. 

_Lilith set her feet on the ground as hard as she could. And The Dark Lord snarled._

_"How dare you?"_ Lilith swallowed.

"I am tired of playing somebody else's game. It is time I set the rules."

In a second she felt nails running along her neck. The gentleness of the first touch left its place to ache as he pressed his nail on the skin of her neck. She tried not to show her terror but her body did not comply. She shivered as he whispered in her ear; his breath reminding her the pits.

"You need to understand the game you are playing before you become the _gamemaker. A_ nd you  _failed to do that._ "

He reappeared right in front of her: this time his long fingers all around her throat. Mary's blue orbs failed Lilith, the veins becoming apparent as he held her fragile neck tighter and tighter.

"Lesson number three: you need to obey the orders to play properly. Lesson number two: know your place. You are trying to play the Queen when you are just the Rook, _demoness_. And lesson number _one_ : _I made you and I can unmake you._ " And with that, her neck got lost in the fingers that crawled around it. Lilith muttered the first magic words that came to her mind which made him hit his back on a tree. He immediately counter attacked without letting her steady her breathing. Lilith fended it off weakly.

Her audacity enraged him and Lilith was quite sure this was the first time she had seen him this furious. The Lord of all evil and betrayal; _betrayed_ by his mistress. 

The idea could have entertained Lilith but in her current situation she didn't have the time to. She found herself pinned on the other tree, her arms and legs tied with the branches.

"You stupid _stupid_ bitch. Have I taught you nothing?" 

Lilith smirked. She smirked with her filthiest smile. "More than you think." She released herself from the branches as she attacked him once again. He was hit on the shoulder and Lilith could swear she saw actual blood. _The Dark Lord bleeding_. She blew the the hair that had fallen on her eye.

"Not bad." She told herself as he came back at her with rage and she pushed his darkness with everything she had in her.

The night shined with light as the two most powerful creatures of the world that is known and unknown to all beings alive and dead were now face to face. 

_The pupil and the master. Allies, lovers, and now the enemies._

Lilith knew she couldn't last longer. And she knew what the consequences of her actions were going to be. _The Dark Lord always kept those sort of promises._ She glanced at Edward. Would he really?  _Would he really kill her own sister?_

Their eyes met. And she knew the answer. Lilith turned her eyes back to her Lord and screamed in pain as she pushed once more with eveything she had in her.  _She knew she wasn't going to survive it. But she had to take him down with her._

 _"Give in!"_ he growled. Lilith could feel the intensity of his magic. She knew what was going to happen if it touched her.

"Never!" she said as tears ran down her face. 

Then she felt it. He was forcing his way to her brain. Even if she tried to fight it he finally managed to get in. 

  _I warned you. I told you what was going to happen if you do not follow the orders._

_You brought this on yourself._

_Your lover will be here any moment._

_She is a lot like you. Of course she couldn't stay still back at her house._

_She is coming. She is coming to die._

_And you, my dear, will get the chance to watch it from the front row._

_No, please no,_ she thought. _Why can't you obey, Zelda? Why can't you stay still just for once?_

Lilith forced him out of her brain but fighting at two fronts had weared her out. She felt weaker and weaker every passing second. Her thoughts got blurry, her focus lost. The light igniting from their clash of magic lost its sharpness. Everything was softer now and Lilith felt like drifting.

And at that moment a spectator of the nocturnals entered the scene, got closer to the spectacle, the clash of the rulers of darkness. It got closer to The Mother of Demons, tugging on her boots. Lilith felt the time slow down once more and got fixed in the dark eyes of the little thing. The intensity of them felt like a swamp taking her in.

_The squirrel that came to her before Zelda arrived and it all started._

In mere seconds that seemed like minutes to Lilith, it grew and evolved into something else and uttered the only word that could make her feel safe.

"Mother."

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im so sorry for the long break. Hoping to post two chapters today but we will see how that goes. Comments are all welcomed. I hope you're liking this xxx


	27. Creatures of the Night

"Aryan." Lilith gasped, with relief. She felt like she was holding her breath all this time and she could finally breathe again now. 

Her demon looked her in the eye for a second and nodded. Next, she was standing by Lilith's side, joining forces.

The Dark Lord saw it, and for the first time in his eternal lifetime, he was _intimidated_. Both Aryan and Lilith saw it in his eyes.

"What is wrong with you  _demon_? Do you really want to go down with  _mommy._ " he snarled.

"It is only convenient." Aryan replied and smirked. "I have always been _mommy's girl._ "

The response enraged him.  _Did she really manage to raise a family out of the beasts?_ She always thought she could never really trust even one. They were wicked creatures after all, a second backing you up, the other stabbing you in the back. 

Aryan spoke once again as if she was reading her mind. 

 _"Make the call -mommy."_ She shrugged at the word mommy and smirked once again.

Lilith knew exactly what she was talking about and she felt the adrenaline running up her upper body.  _She couldn't believe it. Had she really?_

 _"We have been watching. Quietly and very carefully. We know about Sabrina. We know what you are doing here tonight. And, mother, if you really must know, we have been waiting for you to open your eyes. We have been waiting for you to open your eyes and take a stand. And you finally have. So... Make. The. Call. And you shall have an army."_ Lilith's eyes glowed behind the tears.

_"Aren't we tired of hiding in the shadows?"_

_Aryan smiled weakly and Lilith knew what she meant. All this time- doing the whole work and staying in the shadows. None of them ever got any credit._

_They were the ones that made him who he was._

_They were the creatures standing behind him that made everyone terrified._

_One beast would only be despised, would only be laughed at._

_-The fallen angel- Have you ever seen a fallen so powerful other than him?_

_No._

_It wasn't only because of the powers he embodied._

_It was because he fell, and started his own kingdom at the exact spot: raised an army of the fallen, of the despised._

_But the army was not his anymore._

_Because the fallen and despised had started to despise the ones he promised a better, an equal life._

_He had forgotten his promise._

_The army was not his anymore._

_It belonged to the one that cared; the one they call Mother._

_The army was Lilith's._

Lilith looked at her once more before fixing her eyes at the _creature_ who was her Lord once.

He had taught her a spell once, and a very strong once, that could only be done by woman. He had told her to use it in the hour of need. If only necessary. 

_Could he even imagine?_

She did it.

It wouldn't work on The Dark Lord himself, as it did on others but she now had time to utter the following words without him intervening. 

He was paralyzed as an outcome of the spell but Lilith knew he was all ears. In fact, she was quite sure that this was the first thing that he had listened this carefully all his life.

And she cherished it. She cherished the moment.

_And it finally hit her._

_She could survive this, after all. She really fucking could._

She wiped away the mixture of tears, blood and sweat; relaxed her muscles that got stiff after all the fight. They clicked and she rolled her eyes.

She opened them big to focus once more. Her blue orbs regained their wickedness; they shined once more. Aryan smiled at the change of her mother.

"That's the Lilith I know." she said " _Welcome back_."

Lilith smirked at the sight before her. Two of her ex lovers. The two men that underrestimated her. The two men that had a whole pack behind them once but lost them all because of their _ego_.

"Children of night. Creatures of the dark. I summon thee to take what is yours." And she looked at _him_ once again. "You see, the thing about children is" she tilted her head "they always _always_ wait for permission."

The creatures of the night crawled out of the dark and came to light. Animals transformed into their normal forms.  _It was only convenient. Lilith belonged to the woods. The wildlings were her only friends._

_Her children had been there all along: watching, looking after their mother._

_Lilith smiled as they took their place behind her._

_The first time in her whole life she felt completely safe, loved and important._

_She finally had company._

"Say the word, _my queen._ " Aryan said as she kneeled before her. The army of demons followed her actions. She turned back to the both _men_.

She almost whispered but she knew she had never been so loud. 

"Spare the Spellman. And for the _other_ _one_ : do not be so harsh." She fixed her eyes to his eyes. She wanted to make sure he felt every word in his bones.

 _"No matter what he is; he is only just a man."_   

She made sure he would never forget that smile and no image could replace her smirk: no matter what the last thing he saw was going to be, it was her face that he would be haunted by.

With her last words her demons rushed at him leaving only dust behind them.

_My it was a sight._

_A total carnage._

"Lilith!"

She turned around and two arms cradled her in an instand. It felt like a dream.

_She was in Zelda's arms._

"You fucking fool! You fucking fool!" Zelda still couldn't believe she was holding Lilith. She kissed her randomly and held her so tight as if she was trying to make sure she was real. "I thought I lost you again." She said between tears. Lilith did not answer her. She just wanted to feel her warmth and say nothing else.

Zelda could feel her getting heavier and heavier in her arms. She held her even tighter and burried her face in Lilith's hair. She could feel and smell the blood.

When she finally looked up from her shoulder she saw the demons devouring _him_.

The sight was too similar and reminded her of that awful day once again.

_But this time Lilith was in her arms._

She _was_ in her arms and nothing else mattered.

" _I love you_." She whispered, it sounded like a confession.

Lilith limped as she raised her head and moved back to look up at Zelda.

Zelda continued with tears in her eyes.

"You put me through hell and I have no idea what you _are_ now and I haven't got any fucking clue if I can swallow all these and just go on with you but I know that you love me and I want you to know that I love you. I never stopped and never will."

Lilith hugged her tight and bursted in tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sighes* well -it's not done though...


	28. Home Is Where It Hurts

She stared up at the ceiling and wished the morning never came. She had no desire to have the light seep in at the moment. The confrontations awaited, and the carnage of the previous night was going to be validated when put in words.

That night, the Spellmans had entered the scene right after the demons were done with The Dark Lord. Hilda had whispered a "Go" in Zelda's ear and for the first time in her entire life, Zelda obeyed, transporting Lilith and herself to the cottage. She did not have any clue what they had done with Edward or what Sabrina had felt or did. 

She hadn't even thought about it for hours.

Because what mattered was having Lilith by her side alive and the only thing she cared about was her well-being. 

That was day 1.

But there, in that bed they had slept countless of times, right there, that night, she was uneasy. The peace was gone and the reality had crashed the dream into pieces.

She turned to her side and stared at Lilith. She was in deep sleep, her face motionless.  _What went through her head all this time?_

_And what did she have in mind now?_

_Did she ever knew her? Could one ever know another person?_

Zelda moved the curl that had fallen on Lilith's eye back and checked the wound on her forehead. The adrenaline had kept her going during the whole thing; they both came to understand it when Zelda tended her wounds.

Zelda had done her best not to lose contact with her; she made sure their skin touched one another in some way. _For contact made her forget. She was there, Zelda could touch her, hold her, she was there; and that was the only thing that mattered._ _But when they did not touch- Her mind started racing._

She turned back to the ceiling. 

"Talk to me." her voice was hoarse. Zelda did not even flinch when she heard her speak. She kept on staring at the ceiling. Lilith did not move as well, she didn't even open her eyes.  _Both of them didn't want this. They wanted their skins to touch and shut their mouths up until the eternity._

"This is not the right time." Zelda said, avoiding the conversation.  _It's still dark, let's have this until the sun comes up._

Lilith opened her eyes and stared at the woman lying very still, facing the ceiling. They stayed like that for some time; Lilith staring at Zelda without a blink, trying to consider her options but, actually, just looking at Zelda, and Zelda begging to disolve in that bed.

"Zelda-"

"-I can't have this right now." Zelda jumped out of the bed and left the room. Lilith watched her white nightgown float until it disappeared behind the door frame. She sighed and rolled her eyes; she very well knew what she was going to find in the living room. Knowingly, she struggled to stand up. The pain was unbearable.  _Fought Satan with his own army and won, and still feeling this sort of pain,_ she thought and kept on walking, by holding various objects to stand in balance.

When she finally reached the living room, the sight was exactly what she expected.  _The core could never change._ Zelda was sitting on top of the radiator her chin on her knees, looking out from the window.

The sight was something Lilith was familiar with. She wanted to go back to the days where she found Zelda on that radiator countless times back in the old Spellman Mansion. _If she could go back everything could have gone right._

Lilith leaned on the door frame and did not move. Neither did Zelda.

"He saved me from the pits and took me by his side." Lilith said and Zelda moved her chin a bit, and took a deep breath. "I became his right-hand, and then" She sighed as well. "-concubine."

"I don't want to hear it." Zelda said after turning to meet her eyes. Lilith looked back and stopped for a second but then continued, this time even more insistent.  _It had to be out in open. Enough of hiding._ "I hated Edward to death, I did, and revenge was the only thing that kept me going. The bastard had taken my soul away. I couldn't stand that. We had to be even. And then I found him in that tree.  _As if he was served to me._ " She chuckled at the memory,  _faith could be so strange._ "I did it because he deserved it. But now, I am not so sure _because I don't care._ Even then I don't think I  _really_ cared and that pained me to death. I had planned it for years, I had thought it would be the ultimate satisfaction to kill him but- it wasn't _enough_. And then The Dark Lord came up with this task... Edward's daughter... Now, _that_ could work. I thought I could finally be satisfied. Edward's biggest treasure, _the reason why he left me._ The task wasn't that, of course, Dark Lord had other plans for Sabrina, but, I wasn't going to let her take the throne? After all those years of service somebody other than _me_ taking the throne? Edward's daughter taking the throne?" She said sarcastically.

 _"Hell no_."

Zelda's blood had went cold with all these thing Lilith uttered. Her eyes had filled with tears, and she was looking at her in disbelief. 

"Do you want me to leave this house at this very moment? Are you telling me all these because of this? Is it rich despising me with an attitude and way of speaking such as this, is it rewarding?"

Lilith's wall of sarcasm was demolished after Zelda's unexpected openness. She wasn't really a type that let her emotions seep in her words. _So this was a real session of truth wasn't it? The time had really come._ "No." said Lilith with a tone of sincerity that she almost forgot she was capable of showing.

_She wanted Zelda._

"Then stop!" 

"You have to know how it all started! And then how much changed! Because after all those things, you stepped in Zelda! I did my best to avoid you, I never met Sabrina around your territory, I specifically warned the school staff to tell me if you ever came around by any chance so that I can keep out. But.. it didn't work. And I grow to love Sabrina... The recklesness, the wildness... She was so much like me.- or my past self." She let her arms fall.

"Even if you were not in the scenario, I wouldn't let anyone harm a hair on her head because she is what I was before all that men walked into my life. Edward and lastly _him. I would never never let him turn her into a pawn, when she could be so much so much more._ " Zelda gave her a questioning look.

"You must have felt it too, surely you did." Zelda swallowed and _Lilith knew._

"She is born for it, Zelda. She is born to  _rule._ "

Zelda did not deny.

" _She is too young_ -" She tried to fight her with her whole being but for some reason it all came out so weak. Lilith felt the maternality in her grow and it ached her. It softened the way she spoke but she wasn't going to back down. This was going to happen and Zelda had to get used to the idea. She couldn't lie to her anymore.

"She is destined to it, Zelda. I was exposed to her magic. I am sure of it now-" she said trying to show her what was out there in open to her. She took a step on her way, motioned to calm her down; to touch her and ensure her.

"She has time, I will raise her for it."

Zelda raised her hand to stop Lilith. Lilith felt her eyes carve her skin.

"You can't decide my niece's future." She said with a tone that was so definitive. Lilith lowered her hand she had raised to touch Zelda's face.

"I would never. She _will_." she said. It sounded inevitable.

Zelda acted as if she did not hear the last words.

"You have made enough decisions for everyone. Enough of this, I don't want to hear anymore of it." She motioned to stand up only to be kept where she was by the strong grip of the other woman. Lilith reopened her eyes and looked right in Zelda's eyes. The directness bothered her and she had to fight against her whole being not to look away.  _For she then knew. She knew who was standing before her. Who was looking down at her. And she knew she had no way to leave the room or leave -without her permission._

_And she didn't like it._

"The time will come when my kind and your kind will learn about this. They will learn who is destined to rule. Then you won't have any say in it." said Lilith and the loss of affection in her tone was not unmissed by Zelda.

Surprisingly, she did the exact opposite and got personal. She looked right in her eyes and didn't force herself to hide anything.

"What exactly is your kind, Lilith?" Lilith saw the disappointment in her eyes and it made her release Zelda's arm.

"You know it." She said, her voice going down.

"I want you to say it."

Lilith took a moment and regained the previous tone.

"I am the one that gives the orders now, Zelda. I have taken over what is mine. I'm the Mother. And I am going to make sure my successor receives a throne ever so strong. That is the difference between mothers and fathers: they think of the throne itself but we think of the future."

They looked at each other for another second in silent until Zelda broke it with a nod.

"There is nothing left for me here then." She stood up and passed Lilith.

"This isn't about me, Zelda and it isn't about you. I told this because I want you to know what lies ahead." This made Zelda stop and just as she was about to speak Lilith continued.

"No more lies. And no more hiding stuff." she continued "This is a seperate topic that has nothing to do with us."

"Forgive me if I cannot seperate all these because they sound very related to me. And- I don't know you, Lilith. I always think I know you but then you show me some different attitude and I feel like I am looking at a complete stranger."

Zelda knew she was hurt by the words. "It's me, Zelda."

"There are so many you's now."

"They are all me. We all change. I did too. And this me thinks Sabrina is destined to rule, this me is the current ruler of hell, and this me loves you. I thought you had finally understood it."

"It is complicated."

"You make it complicated. We have wasted so many years apart and we are finally on the same page now, do not ruin this. I know you love me." Lilith got closer again. This time they were face to face and Zelda could feel her breath in hers. _Couldn't they just stop the time?_

"Don't-"

"Anything can happen any day, you know it. If things had gone differently that day, you could have been here alone tonight. Why are you doing this to us-"

Zelda knew. She really did. And she wanted to move on but _she had made it so hard. She just couldn't close her eyes and forget it all even if she lied down in the dark and looked at nothing but her face and told herself thousands of times she was alive and nothing other than that mattered._

She bursted. "I'm trying, Lilith! I am trying! But you are coming up with impossible things all the time! It is not helping!"

Lilith almost whispered. "I know."

Zelda sighed and searched her eyes. She didn't know what she was searching for but she just did.  _Impossible._

"You need to rest. We can't delay confronting Sabrina. And you need to- you need to see how things are down there."

"Zeld-"

"Please go. I will sleep here."

"I _beg_ you not to do this. Don't build a fucking wall again-" her eyes were filled with tears and in that moment Zelda saw her Lilith again. She was frustrated and she sounded like the teenager she once knew and loved. 

No one could want something like a teenager. They always wanted the impossible, and was so sure that impossible was possible. They insisted until the end.

Zelda was like that. Once.

"-Lilith!-"

 _"-I was ready to sacrifice it all and I would do it again in a heartbeat_. Zelda- fuck- just leave it alone _for once_!" She was lost in words. And so tired. She huffed and shook her head. "Okay. Okay" she continued under her breath and left the room. Zelda flinched by the strong door shot.

 

The night weared out at last as she sipped her third coffee. It was only the beginning of the day and she was already willing to see it end.

About Lilith, she had to make a decision.

But before that, they needed to see Sabrina.

Zelda decided she should do it alone first and that Lilith attended later on. Her niece deserved an intimate conversation. She left a note to Lilith and left the cottage without checking on her.

 

"Zelda" Hilda sighed in relief and immediately studied her to figure out was going on.

Hilda had got very good at his in the past years. Zelda hardly shared any emotion. She had grown to tell what was going on but never what she felt. So Hilda always read between the lines when Zelda did the classic " _this did that_ ".

She looked so tired and Hilda was sure she hadn't slept. And she was sure something was wrong between her and Lilith.

Zelda walked in and asked where Sabrina was.

"She is sleeping" Hilda answered and followed her sister. She was acting in such rush.

She turned around and went back outside. And Hilda followed again in worry.

"What's going-"

 _"Where is he?"_ She turned around to face her sister as they reached the parlor. 

"At the Academy. In the dungeons." Hilda sighed.

"Are you out of your damned mind, Hilda? He still has followers! And The Academy has no High Priest at the moment since Faustus is dead. How could you do something so stupid?!"  _Were they all testing her patience?_

 _"About -that, Zelda. There is something you should know."_ She went inside as Zelda asked herself what more could have happened. Her hands searched for a cigarette until she realized she had ran out of it.  _And in the worst moment possible, she ran out of cigarettes._

"Congratulations sister." _She handed her the High Priest robe._

Zelda's brain stopped for a second and she couldn't take her eyes from the robe handed to her.

"So you can just go and relocate him if you like but I do not believe that would be necessary." Hilda said trying to get Zelda's attention.

"Whose doing is this?" Zelda simply asked. There was no excitement what so ever in her tone.

Hilda sighed before she answered. _Zelda._ "The High Priests are appointed by the ruler." She made sure she didn't use the name but what was it going to change anyways. Zelda threw the robe to the chair and went back in.  _Just as expected._

"You wanted this all your life, Zelda." The cat-mouse thing started again as Hilda followed Zelda across the rooms.

"I don't want it anymore- where are the cigarettes?" Hilda rolled her eyes and passed her sister to go to the same spot they kept extra cigarettes for 16 years and handed one to Zelda.

"Why don't you?" Hilda asked even if she sensed the answer was Lilith.

"I don't think I feel committed to it anymore."

"Zelds-"

"-Aunt Zelda." 

Zelda's face turned as she heard the familiar voice.

_Zelda felt her whole body burn._

_The amount of the confrontations in the last 4 days._

"Sabrina."

The silence was deafening.

_"How is she?" Zelda swallowed. This is the first thing she asked?_

"Much better."

Sabrina nodded.

"And how are you?"

"Good."

Hilda felt out of place. "I should go and prepare breakfast." She left the room as she took a last glance at her niece and her sister.

 _Zelda felt the itch_.

"Auntie had told you about  _him?_ " _She wasn't using her name._

"Yes, she did."

" _I want him burned._ "

"Sabrina-"

"Why didn't she just  _let me kill him?_ " Sabrina bursted.

"He is your father no matter what-"

"He killed my mother in cold blood!"

"You cannot be like him, Sabrina. You would be no different from him if you did that."

"I don't care!"

"I do! And Lilith does too. Besides, I am sure you heard the other details by now.  _I did not raise you to become some man's pawn._ "

"Is he some man now?" Sabrina said, knowing that she hit the right note. Zelda stayed silent.

_"I did not know." She simply confessed. She dug her nails in her palm and felt the pain. She deserved more. It wasn't enough._

_The confession was unexpected and eased Sabrina._

She nodded and Zelda tried to catch her gaze trying to figure out what she was thinking.

This was the first time Sabrina saw her Aunt so vulnerable. It was as if she was the adult and Zelda was the guilty teenager.

Silence.

She changed the topic.

"Saw you and Lilith -I mean everyone saw. I also heard things about your past." Zelda swallowed. "She saved me, yes. She saved our entire family.  _But the things she did- She played me, Zelda._ " Zelda only nodded. "I do not want to see her around. I don't trust her." She continued. "I- I hope you don't forget that. I can't tell you what to do but _\- I hope you don't forget it." And after that she left the room leaving Zelda lost in her thoughts and in_ _the urge._  

It was all too much.

She tried to steady her breathing, her eyes fixed on that little needle on the table.


	29. Everything Good And Bad Leaves An Emptiness When It Stops

She opened her eyes and listened to the silence of the cottage. 

She didn't need to turn to her right or check the rooms to know that Zelda had already left.

Of course, she would escape,  _as always._

Lilith wanted to stay in the bed, without facing anyone. She wanted to stay in that room and be forgotten.

_But she sat up._

She had things to do, a realm to rule and _a girl_ to talk to.

She decided to visit her newly-gained land first. 

It was funny. She wanted it for so long and she finally got it. She got it in a way she couldn't even imagine.  _Sole ruler of the underworld._ But she was only interested in the  _sole_ part now.  _Zelda,_ she thought and sighed. She immediately pushed away the thought. After all, she had a day she needed to survive.

_A red gown with a deep cleavage. Now, that could fix her mood a bit._

She looked at herself in the mirror.  _Who would have thought?_

The Queen of Hell couldn't help but smile. 

"Hope you are seeing this somehow,  _Lucifer._ " her smile faded away and she got lost in her thoughts until she saw her own expression. 

Zelda was right.  _Who was she?_

Lilith teleported herself to the gates.

The path she walked thousands of times, the stones she touched: they all seemed so different now that she knew she owned them. She realized she never thought this could actually happen. For years and years she hoped this would happend but  _she never thought it was actually possible._

_But now..._

_It was all hers._

She watched her fingers move and open the gates.

The light was almost blinding. She felt the heat and the eternalness. 

The ground shifted as her children kneeled before her all at once.

_"HAIL LILITH. THE MOTHER OF DEMONS. AND THE RIGHTFUL QUEEN OF HELL."  Aryan shouted with everything she had and saluted Lilith._

Hell broke lose as millions repeated the words.  _"HAIL LILITH. HAIL LILITH. HAIL LILITH."_

Lilith turned back to Aryan with tears in her eyes. There was an understanding, and greatfulness between the two that the others would not understand. They have always been close and Aryan knew everything she had been through. And Lilith knew everything about her. This was the greatest victory for both of them. She smiled back and approached her with the crown in her claws.

" _Gehenna is yours, my queen."_  

_Lilith wore her crown._

_My, it felt good._

_It felt so fucking good._

She turned to the millions that had always been hers other than  _his._ Lilith felt loved and cared, she knew she was  _chosen_. She had barely been _chosen_ all her lives but now, she was. And it felt...  _good._

"My children!" she addressed with a tone that she had forgotten she was capable of using. She was confident and strong.  _She was strong._

"Forgive me for leaving the field that early. It was a night of struggle and fight, as you all know, after all you were there." She came closer to the crowd and walked along the line millions had created, making sure she was heard and seen by everyone. "This body has its flaws, I had to be tended. And the reason why I am telling you all these is because  _you chose me to rule._ You knew everything about me: every strength but every flaw as well and you chose me.  _How does it feel to have a ruler that you know? Other than some weak man who you do not know and choose?"_

The crowd growled and cheered. Lilith raised her hand to stop them.

"He had always considered my devotion to you as a weakness. And yet here we are!"

The crowd went mad once again.

Lilith stopped and looked everyone in the front line, everyone right across her, right in the eye.

_"I promise, I will never fail you. I will never underrestimate you. And I will never forget you. We are the fallen, and our strength comes from our flaws. We are strong because we got up every time we were pushed down the cliff and we- we are strong when we are together. I promise you, I will take care of you and no one- no one will ever push you down any fucking cliff. It is our time to rise!"_

"QUEEN LILITH! QUEEN LILITH! QUEEN LILITH" The crowd screamed.

Lilith looked at them.

She felt younger, stronger, and happy.

It was hers. It was finally all hers.

_Gehenna._

_Aryan approached her as she looked at her land._

"Have you talked to Sabrina?" she whispered. Lilith's smile faded away a bit and she had to force herself to keep it there.

"Not yet." she answered.

"I know you just had your coronation but you must do it as soon as possible. She needs to show herself from time to time, just for them to get used to her. No matter her potential and the prophecy, she has to be accepted by them. _They just chose you to rule_. And choosing is not a right they will waive that easily. _She has to prove herself_."

Lilith turned and looked right in Aryan's eyes.

"Aryan _it hasn't been a minute since I wore the crown."_ Lilith waited for an answer, and even more of an apology but Aryan kept looking her without a change in her expression.

The newly crowned Queen of Hell felt the need to expand since her favourite child did not seem to understand her point.

"It is amazing how you get straight to the point. Can I have my moment here, please?"

Aryan answered. "I don't do _delays_ like witches. It is amazing how much they delay things, you know, considering their pathetic life span."

Lilith rolled her eyes but answered. "I will talk to her today."

And they both turned to the millions still celebrating their newly reigned queen as Aryan whispered "Good." this time with a smile.

 

Zelda felt her left arm burn with the desire of a scratch.

Just a little scratch with that needle.

Just to ease the pain a bit, nothing more than that. 

_She heard something._

_A presence._

_More than one._

"Zelds-" she heard Hilda. The was something wrong with her tone. "What is i-"

Five demons were standing right before the stairs of the Spellman Mortuary. When Zelda came in all eyes turned to her. 

Demons moved away as someone walked to her only to stop after few steps.

All muscles in Zelda's body tensed as she stood straight and inhaled without being aware of it. Lilith had a stunning red gown on, exposing her beautiful figure. Zelda thought it was made for her and she was quite sure there was no chance it could look this good on anyone other than her. 

She looked  _queenly._

_As the crown suggested._

Lilith clasped her hands and kept looking at Zelda, without any expression whatsoever that enabled Zelda to read her. She raised her head as if mirroring Zelda.

And at that moment Zelda took a look at Hilda and Ambrose and _realized what they were doing._

_She wanted to laugh._

_So this is what it is going to be like._

She rolled her eyes and sneered which made Lilith blink and inhale. Blinking was a great movement, especially if you had Lilith's or let's say Mary's eyes. Zelda exaggerated and kneeled, almost sat on her knees.

_She wished she had some drinks._

Lilith walked to her with quick steps; irritated and fed up; whispering in her ear.

"I don't know what the hell you think you are doing right now but I am sure you believe you have every right to do so." She got even closer to her and tightened her grasp on her arm and kept on speaking without a pause. Zelda could feel the rage, she even flinched.  _She wasn't expecting this._ " _But you don't Zelda. You constantly escape from me, from yourself? You are acting as if I am some ungreatful, unloving, undevoted creature. We both know I am none of them and I am sick and tired of being treated like that, and chasing you like a dog._ _Now pull yourself together and stand up straight. I will go and talk with Sabrina and when I come back I want to see you collected."_   Lilith pulled her up without looking to her again. Yet, Zelda was unable to look anyone other than her.

Lilith headed to the stairs and the demons followed her until she turned to them.

"Stay here." 

Zelda watched her until she was out of her sight.

 

Lilith took a deep breath as she placed her hand on the door handle.  _She wasn't ready._

She found herself trying to guess what the young witch would say to her and realized she can actually visualize it all. They had spent so much time together and Lilith knew her. She was even sure that there were things about Sabrina that Zelda did not know but she did.

She decided to take the crown and heels off.

And knocked the door.

"Yes?" Lilith took another breath and opened the door.

Sabrina was sitting on her bed, staring at the door. Her face turned when she saw the person standing right across her.

"Can I come in?" Lilith asked. She was still at the door, taking a peek, insistent not to come in before she is allowed to.

Sabrina moved on her bed and swallowed. She seemed to be unable to say anything so she only nodded.

"Right." Lilith said under her breath, trying to calm her nerves and hoping this would be done shortly. She closed the door behind herself and stood where she was unable to determine where to stand or where to put her hands.

After a moment of silence Sabrina spoke.

"How are you?" Lilith immediately answered. She was greatful that the awkward silence was broken.

"Better, thank you. Your Aunt took good care of me." She smiled in the best way she can.

"Bet she did." Sabrina spoke under her breath. Lilith couldn't hear what she said.

"Sorry?" She asked and received a "nothing" from Sabrina. And there it was, the silence, once again.

Lilith just wanted to go to the cottage and sleep so she decided she'd better start speaking.

"Sabrina-"

"Look Miss-" she stopped after realizing she wasn't her teacher. "-Lilith. I specifically warned Zelda about you. I mean it is fine, it is her life, I can't decide for her but- I can't trust you. You saved me and my family but you played me all along. And you killed my teacher. You are looking at me.. through her, actually." Uttering the words outloud made Sabrina realize what sort of a mess she was in.

"I can't change the past and I won't lie to you, Sabrina. I did everything you think I did. Hell, I did worse things even." She sounded like she was speaking to herself. "I had my reasons. I didn't have an easy life, and I wasn't as lucky as you in the love field." She smiled and Sabrina felt her heart break a little for her. "I told this to your Aunt as well when she told me I can't be trusted." 

"-Did she tell you that?"

Lilith looked confused and laughed a bit even. "Of couse, she did? We are talking about Zelda. Plus, you are involved in the situation." Sabrina moved on the bed.  _She didn't know how important she is to Zelda._ Well, of course she  _knew._ But she did not know she was the top priority in everything.

"May I?" Lilith gestured the bed. She was tired of standing up, it wasn't helping her injuries.

Sabrina nodded and she sat on the bed, careful not to be close to Sabrina. As she sat she felt her muscles relax. It had been a long day.

Sabrina realized she was barefoot and she saw how tired Lilith was. And strangely, how human. She immediately lowered her eyes and forced herself to maintain the stern look.

"Your Aunt loves you very much, Sabrina and she will do anything for you. She doesn't put it in words that much but it is the truth. And no one knows her better than I do so trust me in this."  _Interesting word choice, Lilith, she told herself. Trust you? How can she trust you after all these?_

Lilith continued.

"And... I can't expect you to trust me and like me- after all that but I am trying, Sabrina. I am trying to fix things." Sabrina looked at her in the eyes and saw the tears. She saw the sincerity.

"I have grown fond of you during- the task, let's say. This strong, energic, and strong minded creature. You were what I used to be like, Sabrina. Even better. It was as if you were my daughter -you know, all children are like their mothers but better. You started putting an unintentional smile to my face from the first days which, of course were all denied by me." She smiled and her eyes shined. Sabrina felt her eyes water. "I wanted to save you from what happened to me." Lilith looked into her eyes and some feeling told her she was telling the truth.

"And Zelda, of course." She continued. "I swore I would take my revenge but- your Aunt was around. And when I couldn't avoid her everything collapsed on me. I wanted to be with her, you see. I didn't want to be against her. And when I saw her with Faustus- I'm giving too much details, right?" She chuckled, embarassed with herself. Sabrina found herself smiling at her. 

So this was Lilith. This was her.

"I can't change the past, my dear but I am trying. I'm trying to clean up. Stand by me. Help me fix the mess that was left to me?"

Sabrina looked at her without saying anything. They remaines silent for a second until Sabrina asked the question.

"Why did you kneel?" Sabrina looked straight in Lilith's eyes, making sure she did not miss anything.

Lilith was taken aback by the question and Sabrina could see something had turned in her, she had touched a wound.

Unaware of what she is doing, she hissed. "Well, I had no other choice, did I?"

Lilith saw what was hidden behind Sabrina's smile. She despised her.

"There is always another choice. You were just too weak." She said without feeling the need to raise her voice. She very well knew the words were more than enough to hurt her.

Lilith felt the anger in her stomach. She couldn't help it but spoke the words that came into her mind there and then.

"Says you who is loved by everyone, protected by her family and friends and even by me. You were never under real danger, Sabrina. You were never not loved. Do not speak about things that you don't understand." The intensity in her eyes made Sabrina swallow.

"Lucifer was the only person that offered me a hand, other than your Aunt. And I made a mistake, yes. But you cannot blame me for a taking a helping hand at the time. I was wronged and I was alone. And he saved me." She defended herself.

"And you harmed my Aunt because of him. Am I getting this right, my Queen?" Sabrina did her best to hurt her. She was just so mad at her and she did not think she would ever really calm down. The words were out of her lips unintentionally, aimed to strike Lilith like sharp blades.

"I would never harm Zelda." Lilith said slowly, unable to believe she would think such thing. How could they all think she was capable of doing such thing.

"Oh, but you did. When you lied to her all this time, when you tricked me into a path that wasn't my choice. And you harmed her when you killed my father." Sabrina continued after a moment. 

Lilith hated her there and then.

She hated her because she was right.

"You harmed her. There is no difference between doing these and actually wounding her."

Lilith had nothing to say.

"These are between me and your Aunt."

"That is right. But you can't ask me to stand by you when I know all these. You are trying, huh? Well, you have to try harder but I don't think I will ever trust you."

Sabrina went to the door and found Zelda right there.

Zelda opened her mouth to say something but Sabrina was already gone. She watched Lilith as she placed her elbows on her knees clasped her hands behind her neck.

She watched her until she raised her head once again and placed a hand under her chin, looked at the emptiness.

Deep down Zelda hated herself for coming back to her all the time but at that moment she was all numb. The only thing she wanted to do was to sit next to her.

She uttered the words and in a second there were to glasses in her hands. She slowly walked to the bed and sat next to her; handed the glass without saying anything. 

Lilith took it and placed her eyes on the glass this time, avoiding Zelda.

"I don't think that crown is supposed to be on my floor." she said, looking at the walls.

Lilith smiled weakly.

"I am sorry for my behaviour downstairs." She said, this time looking at Lilith. "And I am sorry for leaving you in the morning."

Lilith didn't answer.

"Lilith-"

Lilith drank the whole glass at once. "-She is right. She is right about it all."

Zelda swallowed. Her face forming into its usual seriousness. 

"She is." Zelda said. Why lie about it?

Lilith nodded without facing her.

"I guess that answers all the questions."

Zelda felt the tears rush to her eyes. But she didn't say anything. It was as if she choked on the letters.

"I won't push this anymore, Zelda. I can't force you into this. You will always have these questions bothering you and if you are not going to feel comfortable, then what's the point?"

She stood up from the bed and held herself back not to scream her lungs out.

Zelda was staring at nothing. Still wasn't able to form a word. A tear dropped on the bed, it was so very silent that it could be heard.

Lilith turned to her, finally facing her. She wanted her to say something, anything. Scream at her, shout at her, hit her, call her a cunt, or just tell her to fuck off, anything. But Zelda did nothing. She did not say anything, she didn't move, she didn't even look at her.

Lilith walked to the door.

And stopped there and turned.

"You keep telling me that you don't know me, that I have changed. So did you Zelda. The Zelda I knew would stop me right here, right now but I guess you are not that girl anymore." Lilith said.

Zelda finally looked in her eyes. She was crying. "Thanks to you."

Lilith swallowed. This was exactly why she had to leave. No matter how much she made herself believe in otherwise, it wasn't possible for them to have a relationship when Zelda constantly doubted her and blamed her.

Lilith nodded.

"You won't see me again. Goodbye Zee."

And she left. She left Zelda once again. Just like that day she opened her door and went to Edward. Just like that day when it all went downhill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back at my bullshit after part 2. As you can see I am a bit overwhelmed by my feels, hope you'll like this. Thank you for reading, leaving comments and kudos until this point. I'm still shocked that I have so many hits and everything....


	30. Endgame

"What is it that you are up to now, girls?"

Prudence turned to face the woman and her sisters followed her actions simultaneously. Prudence wiped off the first signs of being caught red handed from her face and smiled. 

"Nothing, Mother." Zelda searched the eyes of the other girls'.  _My, they would make good poker players._ Zelda kept on staring at them, which was generally enough to break anyone at The Academy but the girls did not give in.

"Insistent? There is a feeling that I will figure it out in a very short time anyways." She smiled,  _she loved these girls._

"Can it be the experience telling you so?" Prudence smiled wickedly which made Zelda chuckle and shook her head.

"Clean up your messes, that is all I am asking." She said, as she walked past them with a smile. She had grown very fond of the three after Faustus' death. Prudence had been miserable after her father's death. She had found out about him so late and lost him so early. It pained the girl and Zelda had watched her closely since then and did her best to support her throughout. She got to know Agatha and Dorcas meanwhile as well. They were all broken. They had learned about loss in an early age.  _Poor girls._  

Sabrina and Nicholas approached her when she was lost in her thoughts.

"Aunt Zelda?"

"Yes, Sabrina." They were finally -sort of, back in good terms. Time really did solve everything.  _Well. At least some of the things._

"We would like to leave The Academy for a few days, if that is possible?" She looked at her Aunt, without a smile. 

"Is that so?" Zelda raised an eyebrow. Sabrina knew really well that her Aunts were particularly careful not to go disagree with anything she said for some time then. And she was using the situation in her favour. Normally, she would have given her cutest smile and almost have got on her knees to persuade Zelda. But she did not need to do any of those anymore. "May I ask you why?" Zelda added and received an expected shrug from Sabrina.

It was Nicholas, who answered the question.

"I would like to take Sabrina to the place I grew up, Mother." He looked at Sabrina. "I have a different kind of Lupercalia in mind." He smiled and received another from Zelda's niece.  _She grew up._ Zelda helf herself back not to smile.  _She was happy. And she was more than proud._

"Right." Zelda coughed after a considerable moment of silence. "For this once, you have your permission." She nodded and turned to her niece who only looked in her eyes and said nothing.

Zelda knew her.

She wanted to talk. She was tired of all this coldness as well.

But she also knew she still needed time.

So she let her.

Zelda smiled at Sabrina.

"Nick, can you please give us a moment." Sabrina said, without breaking the eye contact with her Aunt.

"Of course." answered Nicholas, and left the two.

Zelda swallowed. But did her best not to show. She raised her head and gave a look of "what" to Sabrina.

"Do you have any plans for Lupercalia?"

Zelda swallowed once again, fully aware of what was indicated in the question.

"The usual. The festivities etc."

Sabrina did not break the eye contact. "Right." she said.

She took a moment and then walked away.

Only to come back.

"Auntie." She took a deep breath. "I am hoping to- fix things between us. Perhaps... perhaps we can talk it all through when I get back." She looked straight in Zelda's eyes once again.  _This was everything Zelda wanted to hear._

_The last couple of months had been unbearable; especially when her beloved niece barely talked to her or showed her no sincerity whatsoever._

_She could go through anything._

_Anything._

_But Sabrina had to be with her, she had to be by her side through everything._

_Only then, she could find the strength in herself to bear it all._

Her eyes were filled with unintentional tears. She replied with a hoarse tone; almost choked in words. "I would love that."

Zelda's tone felt like pins in Sabrina's heart. The young witch swallowed. "See you." And went to her lover; to hold his hand and find strength and the desired affection in his touch. 

She held Nick's hand and left Zelda with nothing but hope.

_Lupercalia._

Zelda sighed. A flash of thoughts passed her and she couldn't help but close her eyes.

_Her. No smile. No anger. Nothing. Just her, looking directly at Zelda._

Zelda opened her eyes and the main hall of The Academy was back. 

Even if she refused to admit, these images were coming to her again and again. She never let them stay with her for more than few seconds. The thing about those, reveries, let's say, was that they were always a bit blurry. Except for the eyes. The eyes were always ever so clear: they were threatening. The intensity. Zelda felt like suffocating. She felt if she let the images get to her, not open her eyes; they could solve every mystery, answer every question: questions that must never be answered.

One thing kept coming back to her. Specifically, one thing.

When they were back in the cottage that night and Lilith begged her to _let go._

_Seven months, eight days._

Zelda swallowed when she remembered the last time she was keeping the count.

Unlike then, Lilith was somewhere she can reach.

Zelda realized the classes had started and there was no one but her in the middle of the hall. She walked to her office.

 

_Come with me._

_It was dark and the air smelled damp. She obeyed._

_At the end of the hall; there was the light._

_Just like flash light, it was there and then gone; the same; again and again._

_She narrowed her eyes and followed the path._

_Two figures._

_Making love._

_The one on top turned around and gave her a fierce look. What are you looking at?_

Zelda woke up, out of breath and checked if there was someone else other than her in the room.

_Apart from the reveries, she was having these- these nighmares. This was the sixth time in two weeks she saw- she saw Her- with somebody else._

It was almost 6 pm.

For the first time in all those years, she was not going to attend Lupercalia. She decided she should stay home.

 

The High Priestess came out of her room and paced to the balcony right on top of the main hall and shouted for the first time. The one name. That one name whose owner had had her hands full all day.

"PRUDENCE!" 

The young witch felt every syllable in her bones and looked at her sisters, then rushed to the hall.

The three were out of breath when they reached the hall. They looked up at the balcony and saw Zelda who seemed petrified and pretty pissed. She spoke as some ash from her cigarette fell down to the ground.

"You are in charge of the activities."

Prudence sighed a breath of relief but did her best not show it. "Mother?"

"I do not think I need to repeat anything again or give you instructions on the occassion as I pretty well know you are very much equipped about it all." Zelda answered in one breath and left almost in a second after speaking her last word. 

As she disappeared from sight, the girls heard another command. "Get me Hilda and go down to the dungeons to tell Edward we will be visiting him in few minutes!"

 

"What is going on?" Hilda rushed into the room without knocking or anything.

The sight was unsettling. Zelda was pacing the room, lighting a cigarette with another. Hilda knew this. It was too familiar. 

"Something is off." Zelda said without looking at her sister.

"Wha-"

"Too much coincidences. Too much recurring events. And on this day."

"Zeld-" Hilda was trying to understand, to get in between but Zelda did not let her; she was not even listening Hilda reckoned. Her mind was racing so were her feet.

"Have you been checking on him, Hilda, be honest with me!?" She stopped and raised her voice. Her eyes were burning. She was frightened, panicked.  _And that never ended well._

"Can you-"

"You are so distant now. All about that- wolf guy. I told you a million times! Check on-"

"ZELDA STOP!" Zelda came to a halt.

"Sit down. Now!" Zelda obeyed. Hilda looked at her sister worried and sighed. She was going to understand what was going on, but first-

Her eyes searched the room. And at that moment Zelda knew what she was looking for. She took her face in her hands and held herself back from the breakdown. Hilda watched her as tears rushed to her eyes.  _Don't, she told herself. Don't break, do what you need to do."_   She closed her eyes and moved her right hand and muttered a certain spell.

_All the sharp objects in the room were gone._

Zelda knew what she did. 

Hilda watched her sister combust within. She took a step only to be stopped by her hand. "Stay where you are."

Hilda rolled her eyes, fed up but obeyed. "Stop casting me out. This is stage zero all over again, I know this."

Zelda did not move an inch. "Shut up Hilda."

"You have to talk to me. What is going on in your mind?" She sat right across her. "We will go one by one. Slowly. Now take a deep breath and move those hands from your face."

"I don't want to look."

"Then close your eyes. But move them from your face. And sit straight. Now, deep breaths."

Zelda moved her hands from her face and reclined back. The blood had flushed to her face. She took a deep breath.

"He is doing something."

"Like what?"

"I am having reveries for some time. And nightmares."

"Of what?"

Zelda opened her eyes and gave Hilda the look. "You know what."

"Right. About that-"

"We are going one by one."  _We are not getting into that._

"Yes. Okay. You had them when she -died as well. I don't think it is related to Edward."

"Hilda, no. These are different. I thought the same too. But today. It is Lupercalia. And I woke up here: I don't recall falling asleep or getting into the office even. All I remember is that I _headed back_ to the office. This smells dark magic, I know this."

Hilda took a moment to answer. "He can't be the one, Zelda."

"How can you be so sure?" Zelda questioned, almost out of her patience once again.

"I just know." Answered Hilda, almost whispered.

"How can you know it, Hilda. Speak!" she shouted, her eyes widened once again.

"Calm down." She sighed. Her hand found her forehead like it always did when she was nervous. "Lilith took his powers."

Zelda swallowed. She could not speak. She did not recall such act. If what Hilda said was true, it meant she had been there at The Academy after they had that last argument at Sabrina's room.

The words felt like a lump in her throat. "And when did that happen?"

"Around two weeks ago." Hilda gave in.

Zelda swallowed again. Her eyes watering against her will. _If only she could breathe properly._

"She asked you to keep your mouth shut."  _You will be fine. Don't break._

Hilda took a deep breath. "She did."

"And you did not tell your own sister." She spat as she stood up.

Hilda was out of her patience. She interrupted her sister as she stood up and came uncomfortably close as well. This was the first time Hilda crossed Zelda's personal space and gave her that sort of fiery look. She had been running that damned house for a very long time. And she was the one that took care of everyone. And it had to be known at this point.  _Zelda had to know who actually is in charge. And she had to hear an opposing opinion._

"And what were you going to do if I told you Zelda? You are the reason why she went away in the first place! You could have stopped her anytime but you chose not to. So I am asking once again, do please tell me what the hell were you going to do if you knew Lilith was here?!"

Zelda collapsed back on her seat without taking her eyes away from her sister. She could not answer.

"I thought so." she continued, this time her voice lower. 

She moved away from Zelda.

"We are going home. I am starting making the potions again and you are staying in for some days. I will notify teachers and Prudence, come up with something." She waved her hand. Zelda did not seem to listen any word of that. There was only one thing bothering her:

"Sabrina-" She looked in Hilda's eyes with a sudden horror and nervousness.

"I will talk to Nicholas and tell him to ask Sabrina to stay with him after they get back. He will happily oblige and so will Sabrina. She barely comes home nowadays anyways." She looked back at her sister and saw the worry. _"She won't know Zelda."_

"She will find out some day."  _I am tired._

"You are going to get over this."

Zelda sneered.

"We managed once. We can do it again." Hilda assured her.

Zelda did not answer or smile. She didn't think so.

 

As the witches and warlocks of The Church of Night celebrated Lupercalia, the night was ever so clear. Stars were out as if they were there for the lovers. Zelda remembered the times she made love under those stars. Countless nigths filled with passion, with desire. But not love.  _Never with love._

She switched the tea Hilda made for her with whisky.

Countless men.

The ghosts she danced all along.

And the one woman that owned the dance from the very first second.

It was  _her dance and her dance only. This life._ _It never belonged to me, she thought as she looked at the stars-_

Hilda was on the phone.

Zelda decided to go outside.

She wanted to see the stars.

And so she did.

She took a step on the porch.

And another.

And another.

She wanted to find a spot where she could see everything clearly. She wanted to see the sky and the stars and-

She walked and walked and finally found it.

In the midst of nowhere, far from the house.

Somewhere, she couldn't be heard.

_The voices were back._

_And she couldn't have them again. She couldn't go through that again. And she knew, this time there was no fixing._

_The itch was back._

She snapped her fingers for one last time.

A razor appeared in her hand.

She looked at the stars.

_Unreachable._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am looking forward to hear what you think about this because, I just went a bit off-road again. Hope you will like it xx


	31. Light

The razor slipped from her hand as she fell on her knees.

_I-_

It felt like a brush of water on a newly painted canvas: everything seemed to meld into everything. She heard the wind and leaves. 

The winds brushed the trees and her gently. It was almost like the touch of a loved one.

_"If we could meld souls."_

She looked up at the stars. They had come closer to one another. They were bigger know. Yet, somehow, less shiny.

_I want to sleep._

She fell on the ground and the ground embraced her, made a place for her immediately. 

The blood kept spilling and spilling, only to be absorbed by the earth.

_This is the end._

_Finally, the end._

_She decided she wanted to see it until the last moment. She wanted to look at the stars but her eyelids failed her. They were so heavy. So very heavy. Pulling her down to darkness._

 

Her heart reminded her its existence down below the cage both herself and the false god had burried it. She had to sit down. It was as if someone squeezed it tight and it was trying to beat against the hold.

She could hear and feel her own blood pumping against her veins.

_I never wanted to leave._

Without a thought given, a word said, she disappeared from the surface of the pits. In a second her feet touched the ground she barely walked on for some time.

The air was heavy and she realized she could not breathe.

She looked around.

Right in the midst of the woods, the only spot that had no trees, but surrounded by them. Hidden from the world but a part of it to the core. Both the sky and the woods embraced this beautiful, one little spot.

This was where Zelda and Lilith met that night.

That night of confrontation.

Lilith remembered how the night started. What their initial plans were. 

She saw strands of hair on the ground. Strands, she knew really well. Without being aware she ran to her.

_No._

She took the woman in her arms.

_No. Not like this._

_"Zelda."_

She did not answer.

Lilith realized she was heavier. She was getting heavier in her arms and right in front of her eyes. She was drifting away.

She felt the blood soak her dress and get to her own skin.

"Zelda don't do this to me, please." She bursted into tears. She touched her face then growing cold. "Open your eyes, I beg you. Stay with me."

_No answer._

_Pull yourself together, Lilith. Concentrate._

She muttered a spell as she held one of her wrists and begged to every force of the pits and the earth and of the garden even. 

The Queen of Hell _begging_.

"I would do anything. Please." She crumbled and got Zelda closer to her chest.

"I am sorry for everything. Please come back to me. I would do anything. I promise. I promise I would do anything." She kept mumbling as she stroked the witch's hair.

_No answer._

Lilith gave out the most aching cry the living and the dead ever heard. 

_She did this to herself. Why did she do this to herself?_

_I should have never left her. I should have stayed around even if she wanted me gone, even if she hated me. I should have been there for her._

_I could have stopped this._

And the one thing that kept coming to her.

_She was all alone._

Silence fell when she could not scream anymore. The only sound she could hear was the wind. The love of her life lied in her arms, lifeless and pale. She wanted to go back. She wanted to start over. She wanted to fix this.

Lilith remained there, cradling her and sobbing.

Lost.

No plan.

Simply lost.

Her eyes found the razor.

_What is the point?_

She looked at Zelda once again and kissed her head. 

She remembered the first time she closed her eyes to the mortal earth. She remembered Zelda's face in that far corner of the Zoo. The image was so clear that Lilith thought it was happening there and then. It had been years and it was still so clear to her at that moment.

The way she screamed in Edward's arms.

Lilith closed her eyes and held the razor tight. 

_"I never wanted you to leave."_

The voice was low and hoarse.

Lilith opened her eyes and looked down on her lap. 

 _"_ _Put that down."_ said Zelda, her green eyes were dark and fathomless under the moonlight. Lilith couldn't look away nor could she move an inch. Tears dripped on the woman that was lying on her knees until she brought her and held on for dear life. When Lilith realized the woman was all motionless under her arms she loosened her arms around her.

Without meeting Lilith's eyes or responding to her touch, she spoke once again.

_"Take me **home**."_

 "Right. I-"

_"Take me to **the cottage.** "_

_She means-_

Zelda finally looked in her eyes again. They were dark and did not speak any words, yes, but there were tears. And nothing could be louder than tears. What did I do to you, Zelda? 

Lilith snapped her fingers without muttering a word and they were in the middle of her living room in an instant. She tried to catch a glimpse of Zelda's face but the woman moved slowly and placed herself right next to Lilith and put her head on her neck. It was as if she was trying to make sure not an inch of her was seperated from Lilith. She burried her face there; her tears touched Lilith's skin and were absorbed by it.

 Lilith slowly enveloped the woman with her arms, pulling her closer. Zelda shivered under the gentle touch. She pulled her knees up and made herself smaller.

 And started crying. 

 She started crying like a child. Like it was the first time she was broken. So naive and so pure. Lilith felt like stabbed, unable to breathe for a second. She wanted to stop it, she wanted to stop her aching.

She hugged her tighter and held back her tears.

They sat there, skin to skin, heart to heart: cried together until they had no tears left to shed.

_They had known each other for decades. They had gone through many things. There were times they loved one another and also, did not. There were times they had one another and far away from each other. They had seen everything. They had seen fire and they had seen rain._

_But never had a moment like this._

_Zelda did not tell Lilith why she did what she did. And Lilith did not ask her._

_They did not speak that night only made love. Lilith went over the body she thought she so very well knew. She took her time and looked deeper and deeper in her lover, trying to see everything that pained her until that moment, and everything that made her smile. She looked into long-gone scars, and the wrinkles around her eyes and her lips that were there because of smiles._

_She knew she was going to make her better. She just knew it. And she made sure Zelda knew it too._

_The ginger strands tangled in the dark ones as they kissed, as their bodies danced. Zelda kept her eyes closed as she wept and wept._

_You cannot make anything disappear. Everything leaves a mark. You cannot act as if they did not happen. Because they did. And you need to live with that. The voices were going to be there. They could get lower, but they were going to be there. Some hurts never heal. Some ghosts and memories are never gone. But they bring you to this moment. This exact moment._

_Everything that happened to her, to them, brought them together. The light was always there, if they chose to let it in._

_Day after day, they will find their way._

_There will be light._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has got to be my favourite chapter to write. Thank you all for backing me up in this ride, i still cannot believe there are actual people that liked this. I hope you will be satisfied with this ending. And I am sorry for the previous late updates. My life is a mess. Love you all xx


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